Coping With Disaster
by DelenaDJ
Summary: PART OF MY CROSSOVER COLLECTION. With her humanity switch firmly in the upright position, Elena tries to find a way to navigate through her grief and a little road trip with Damon might be just the thing she needs.
1. A Bitter Song

"You feel that weight lifting off your chest? That's joy because your friend isn't dead. That's emotion, Elena. That's humanity." She didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe all she'd done as that other person…as the vampire. She had killed and caused so much pain. "You're going to be okay."

No. It's not possible. She would never be okay. Because of her inability to cope with the loss of her last remaining family member, she hurt the people she loved. It would never be okay.

"No," Elena sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Damon knew he was starting to lose her.

"Look at me."

"No, no, no. It's not okay."

"Elena."

"What have I done?"

"Hey, it's okay." Elena paced and grabbed at her head.

"No, no. What did I do? I almost killed him. Matt. I almost…and Bonnie and Caroline…I just…" Damon tried to put an arm around her but she pushed him away. "That woman, the waitress. I actually killed that waitress." Stefan moved toward her but she resisted. "No! I killed that waitress!" She punched through the window of Matt's truck, sending glass everywhere as Stefan and Damon tried to restrain her.

"Hey, look at me. Look at me," said Stefan. "I know this stage, okay? The emotions are overwhelming you. You just have to focus on one thing, okay?"

"No. I can't. I can't," she cried.

"You just find that one thing inside of you that makes you strong. It's in there. Just latch onto it. Channel everything you're feeling into that one emotion. Find the thing inside of you that makes you want to live." She sifted through the emotions inside her. Rage, overwhelming grief…love. Damon. He had become her reason for living. He had become the one thing that had made her life as a vampire enjoyable. With him, she didn't have to live up to anyone's expectation. She could be whoever she wanted to be. But she had done so many horrible things to him. How could he forgive her? "Elena, let it in. Let it in." Her love for him filled her up and calmed her considerably. "That's good. That's it. Just breathe it in. Blow everything else out. That's good."

"Damon," she whimpered.

"Shh." He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. "I'm here. I'm right here." In that moment, Elena knew she wasn't okay, but she'd get better. She collapsed into his chest and he picked her up.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, burrowing into his neck, as he walked away from Stefan and Matt with her. Damon placed a kiss to the crown of her head.

"You don't have to apologize to me. If I had been in the same position, I probably would have turned it off too. I'm sorry I used the sire bond against you like that…but you were in so much pain…"

"I love you." Damon paused in his steps toward the Boarding House.

"Elena, you don't have to spare my feelings."

"I love you. It's the only thing that's keeping me together." Needless to say, Damon was shocked. Love. Her love for him was the emotion she latched onto. He smiled slightly and then began to walk in a different direction. "The Boarding House is the other way."

"I know. I want to take you somewhere." He vamp-sped with Elena further into the forest until they reached a grove by the falls. The water cascading down the mountain rushed into the river. "I come here when I need to think…when I need to be alone. I think we could both use that right now."

"Being alone together. It sounds nice." They both sat down by the water's edge.

"I want to say that that will never happen to you again. That you'll never feel such overwhelming grief that you turn it off, but I've never lied to you. I don't plan on starting now. I guess you'll be wanting this back." He pulled out her daylight ring from his pocket.

"This is the way it should have been. You giving me this ring instead of Stefan."

"How did you…" Elena quirked a brow and Damon chuckled. "You drive me crazy, you know that?"

"Likewise."

"How long have you known?"

"If we're going to be honest, I think from the beginning." Elena leaned into Damon and he wrapped his arm around her before they both laid on their backs. "Tell me what to do."

"I can't. You know I can't."

"I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Every time I'm around them…they expect me to be the same Elena before the bridge. Human Elena and…I can't. I get it now…what you said in Denver about not wanting to live up to anyone's expectation of you. It's exhausting." Damon leaned over Elena and stroked her cheek. "I can't go back, Damon. I've been through too much. I can't go back."

"I know you're afraid."

"No, I literally can't go back there. What do you think will happen when we do? Sure, they'll give poor little weak Elena a break for a few days and then the judgment will start all over again."

"Elena, you're anything but weak. You're the strongest person I know. Eternity is a long time for a vampire."

"What does that have to do with…"

"Shh. Let me finish. It means that we can make choices and not worry about the consequences so much because we live long lives. We can always go back and fix things if we wish. Tell me what you want."

"I just want to be with you, uninterrupted, no more supernatural crap to deal with…at least for a little while. You've lived and seen the world. I want that." Damon kissed her, long and languidly. "I've missed that."

"Me too," he whispered, leaning his head against hers.

"Take me away from here."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere but here. Somewhere quiet, where I can just be with you, love you. Where we can be us. Somewhere that no one knows about."

"I think I can do that."

"Really?"

"The world's a big place and I think it's about time we left this one-pony town. Come on." He got up from the ground

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise. Trust me."

"Always," Elena replied before kissing him.


	2. You Don't Know

It was early morning when Emma Sinagra left her estate located on the outskirts of London. She had just returned from a trip to Marseille, celebrating her wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, her deceased husband had been unable to join her. It had been this way for over forty years. She would always go to Marseille, the place they met, on their anniversary to honor his memory. After returning to her estate, Emma had decided to stock up on blood and food. As she left the gates of Blackbriar, she noticed some people standing over a body in the forest. She stopped her car and as she opened the door sniffed the air and frowned.

"If it isn't, Boo Radley," the Assistant Commissioner of the London Police muttered.

"Don't start that," the Commissioner replied. "They're quiet. They keep to themselves. If only more of them were like that."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Emma asked. She then grimaced at the body at the ground.

"There's nothing anybody can do at this point, Ms. Sinagra."

"What do you think could have done that?"

"Coroner will rule cause of death."

"That's an animal kill," said the man who found the body, Michael Braxton.

"Assistant Commissioner O'Neil, could you get the tarp out of the truck. No one else needs to see this. Michael Braxton tells me he's heard wolves up your way in the past."

"I don't hunt up at Blackbriar so I'm not totally aware of what passes through, but yes, we've heard wolves as well."

"If the coroner rules a wolf kill, I'm going to want to do a one mile sweep of this area which will include your property."

"Of course. Anything I can do to help."

Emma got back in her car and drove into London. With every mile that passed, she grew more worried. That was no damn wolf kill. It was a rogue vampire who made it look like a wolf. Damn. And it was close to her property too. This wasn't good. She was going to have to call everyone home. She dialed a series of numbers and finally called on the one person who she wasn't sure would answer or not.

"Damon, it's Emma. There's a Mutt here. A girl was killed. I need you here. I'm calling everyone home. Call me back."

After raiding the blood bank and buying some groceries, Emma returned home and felt a presence. Someone was here in her house. She heard a noise in the kitchen and walked in to see Damon kissing a girl on the counter.

"Well, I think I can truthfully say my kitchen will never be the same again." The two separated immediately.

"Emma!"

"Damon, I thought you said no one was here," the girl with Damon chastised.

"I cut my trip to Marseilles short. I take it you received my message."

"Message?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"You never check your voicemail."

"Actually we, uh, ditched our phones. We're in hiding."

"From who?"

"My brother and her friends." Emma shook her head.

"As usual you create a great deal of trouble for yourself, Damon." Emma then turned to Damon's companion. "I'm Emma Sinagra."

"Elena Gilbert. Damon tells me you two are good friends."

"More like his bloody babysitter. I'm always getting this one out of trouble," Emma chuckled.

"I'm going to go freshen up and let you two talk. I'll be right back." She kissed Damon on the cheek and left. Emma then glared and grabbed Damon by the throat.

"I should kill you where you stand," Emma hissed. "You dare to bring outsiders to my home."

"She's a vampire."

"I don't bloody care."

"She's of my blood." Emma then released Damon, surprised.

"Really?" Damon massaged his throat. "Well, that changes everything." Emma then moved to put her groceries away.

"Frickin' bipolar vampire," Damon grumbled as he helped her.

"Why did you bring her here? And don't spare me the details."

"All her family's dead. When her brother was killed, I had her turn off her humanity. Big mistake. I got it back on, but she's still grieving. She needed to get away. I'm sure my brother and her friends are trying to hunt us down to force-feed her the cure to vampirism. She doesn't want it."

"That still doesn't explain why you brought her here."

"I love her, Emma. She's the one."

"Does she make you happy?"

"Yes." Emma smiled.

"Does she know?"

"No. But I've seen the signs in her. She's unlike anyone else I've ever turned. It will happen to her."

"Then I should show her then."

"Show me what?" Elena asked, entering the room.

"This home is a special place," said Emma as she moved into the living room, Elena and Damon following her. "A haven from the outside world. A place where we can be free. And when I say we, I don't mean vampires. Blackbriar is a home to those tortured by Augustine, a secret society of humans that experimented on vampires. They abducted us off the streets all over the world. The only people who understood us were those who suffered with us. For years we were cut up, starved, injected. And in that time we gathered our strength so we could rise up against the humans and escape. We survived that's true, but not without a cost. We were different from our brethren outside Augustine's walls. We were faster, deadlier, and above all we had a special skill that certain vampires we turned would receive." Red tendrils of energy whipped around Emma and she shape shifted into a kitsune with snow white fur and red markings on her face. _The gift of transformation,_ Emma said telepathically to her guests. _Show her._ Black energy swirled around Damon and he turned into a black kitsune with blue markings. _This is what happens when humans try to play God and mess around with vampire DNA. They create something else entirely._

"Damon?" Elena whispered, shocked. Damon rubbed up against Elena. "You were tortured?"

_Of course you would focus on that part,_ Damon replied before he and Emma returned to their regular forms.

"Damon tells me you have the gift," Emma as she poured herself a drink. "He senses it in you. You'll fear the urge to transform into the kitsune. If you resist it, it will hurt. Let it take you over. After your first time, you'll be able to control when you transform. Although, I don't suggest going long periods of time without indulging. You two do have impeccable timing."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain when everyone gets here. If you'll excuse me, I think I'll go on a run." Emma transformed back into her kitsune form and ran out the back door.

"This was so not how I imagined telling you," said Damon.

"Does anyone else know? Stefan?" Elena asked as they sat on the couch.

"Stefan was already in so much guilt by the time I got out of Augustine that there didn't seem to be much of a point."

"So you've kept it secret all this time."

"It doesn't freak you out, does it? Knowing you're going to be like that?"

"I've been through so much now that I don't think anything could freak me out." She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too. How are you doing?"

"Good. I like it here."

"Yeah. No annoying little brothers."

"Or friends. We can just be us," Elena sighed. Suddenly, Elena felt a strange sensation.

"What is it?"

"I…I feel weird. Like something's trying to consume me."

"It's the transformation. It's okay. Let it come."

"I'm afraid."

"Elena, let it come. Let if flow out of you. I don't want you to go through all the pain I went through." Blue wisps of energy shot from Elena and within several minutes, she transformed into a white kitsune with a blue marking on her forehead. Damon transformed as well and nuzzled her neck. _You're beautiful,_ he said. _Just like I knew you would be. Come. I'll show you why we really have all this land. _They ran out the back door and into the forest.

_This is amazing,_ said Elena as they ran. All the grief that had consumed her in Mystic Falls. Here in England it couldn't even touch her. She was free.

_My, my. That was fast,_ Emma said. Damon and Elena looked up to see Emma's kitsune form lounging on a tree branch. _Good thing I told you the story. _

_What happened after you and Damon escaped? _Elena asked.

_Well, it wasn't just Damon and I and not everyone escaped Augustine. About fifty of us total escaped. And we feared for our lives. Once upon a time I was a very powerful Original vampire, the wife to Niklaus Mikaelson…until the little bastard became power hungry and cast me aside for Katerina Petrova. After we escaped, I went to Elijah, Klaus' brother, for guidance. I told him of what had transpired and the man I had trusted turned on me. He told me if our nature was ever discovered by Klaus he would kill us all…for we are an impurity to the vampire bloodline. We have abilities the others do not. For instance, even though we are dead, the kitsune inside us allows us to procreate, but only with our own kind. Klaus would go mad if he discovered that. I ran as fast as I could and told those of us who escaped of the new order. We would stick together in packs and not harm humans unless it was for food. There were some who agreed and some who didn't. Those who didn't went on their own and are not allowed to settle in one place. We call them Mutts. This land and this home belong to the Blackbriar Pack and I am the Alpha. Welcome to the fold, Elena. It'll be nice to have another girl around for a change. _Suddenly, they heard gunshots. _Hunters. We need to go. Quickly._ The three then ran back toward the house where some figures were waiting in the distance. They ran into the kitchen and transformed back.

"Gunshots?" a man asked before hugging Emma.

"I'm happy you're here, Dominic."

"Are you alright?"

"We're fine. I picked up the scent of the hunters near the western property line and we cleared out immediately."

"Were they shooting at the Mutt?" asked another man.

"I don't know, Ryan. Possibly. But I didn't smell a Mutt there. Any snapped twig or rustling leaf is going to be met by bullets until this situation is resolved. Oh, where are my manners? Dominic, Ryan, this is Elena. She's new."

"Hi," said Ryan flirtatiously. Damon growled at him.

"She's Damon's," Emma whispered.

"Damn. You always get all the good-looking foxes."

"Shut up," Dominic replied as he shook her hand. "You'll have to forgive my son, Ms. Elena. He doesn't always think with his brain. Good to see you, Damon."

"Dom."

"Where's Sean and Liam?"

"They'll be arriving tomorrow. Come." They walked into the living room. "I called the whole family back because of a Mutt. He killed near our property."

"What do you know?" Dominic asked.

"It looked like a wolf kill and the coroner will determine that soon enough, but I could smell that it wasn't a wolf."

"We haven't had trouble with Mutts on our territory for years. Who's on top of the shit list?" Damon asked.

"That's the thing. It's a smell I haven't smelled before. I have no idea who it is."

"Some random Mutt kills on our territory? Why?"

"I think the most important thing is the kill itself. Whoever this is broke a cardinal rule by killing a human for sport near our territory. They have to pay for that."

"What's the plan?"

"I've called everyone home. We'll deal with this together. As a pack. Everything you need is here just as you left it." Emma then sensed a presence and walked to the front door. The Commissioner had pulled up outside. "Commissioner."

"Ms. Sinagra. I, uh, thought you'd want to know the coroner confirmed it was a wolf kill. The locals are calling for a bounty, but wolf killing is illegal in this county so we're asking for folks to keep an eye out and report any sightings. Now that that wolf's got a taste for blood it's got to be caught and put down." The Commissioner noticed several people inside the house.

"We could put traps up around the property line."

"Traps and would-be hunters. Dangerous combination."

"We would be more than happy to check out the property for you."

"Have a nice day."

"Great. Killer Mutt and trigger-happy hunters. This couldn't end soon enough," Damon grumbled.


	3. Howl

"Ditching our phones was the best idea you've ever had," Elena moaned as Damon's hand traced the curves of her thighs and hips.

"I know. I'm a total genius," Damon whispered as he continued to kiss Elena's neck and collarbone.

"I'm happy that we did this, that you felt secure enough to introduce me to your family." In the short time Elena had spent at Blackbriar, she'd quickly caught onto the metaphorical family dynamic. Emma was the mother hen of the group with Dominic as the firm yet fair father. Damon, Ryan, and Sean were their three bickering sons and Liam was that cool uncle who always made sure to come back home with some crazy story of his adventures.

"More like they crashed our English getaway. Trust me. You would have met them sooner or later. Emma is ridiculously attached to us. And the others are just plain annoying."

"So if I translate that from Damon-speak to English, you care about them like they're family."

"Don't forget. You're part of the family too now. And by the way, since you've discovered all my secrets, what shall I ever do with you?" Damon mocked.

"I have an idea." With a wide grin, she kissed him and Damon pressed her down further into the bed, grinding his rock solid length against her.

"That's my girl," he whispered as his hand trailed down to her heat. Teasingly, he stroked her and she moaned when he slipped a finger inside her.

"Oh, Damon. Please. Hmm. More," she begged as the pleasure began to overwhelm her. His finger slipped out of her, but she wasn't without further pleasure as his cock slid into her. "God, yes," she let out gutturally.

"God, you're tight."

"I've been too long without you," Elena hissed as she pulled at his hair. He pushed harder and harder into her and growled when Elena scratched at his back.

"Hmm. I love you," he moaned as she met his thrusts. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he grabbed her ass to push her further into unending bliss, a bliss they both shared.

"I love you too," Elena replied when he collapsed on top of her. "I have a question. Is your stamina due to your transformation?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Damon smirked.

"Damon," Elena pouted. "I'm still trying to get a handle on all of this." A bell then rang downstairs.

"Saved by the breakfast bell."

"You're so mean."

"You love it." He kissed her on the nose and she giggled. He was right. She did love it. "Come on. We better get going before Liam eats all the bacon. Or we can stay in bed all day if you prefer." Elena shook her head and they both got out of bed. After a few moments, they walked downstairs.

"Are they up yet?" Liam asked.

"I haven't seen them this morning," Emma replied, sitting at the head of the table. She then noticed Damon and Elena walk in. "Good morning, sleepy heads."

"Chi se move mangia, e chi sta fermo secca," said Dominic as the two sat down at the table. Elena looked at Damon.

"He who moves eats. He who sits still dries up," Damon translated.

"So move and eat," Dominic added, referring to the spread on table along with a large pitcher of blood.

"I tell the crews I travel with that I have an abnormal pituitary gland, otherwise with all the food I eat, I'd be reality-show huge," Liam joked. Elena noticed everyone waited for Emma to eat a piece of sausage. She chewed the meat and nodded to everyone else to dig in.

"So, have you heard from Sean yet?" Damon asked. The last member of their family had yet to arrive.

"He's on his way here."

"We don't have to wait. We can track now."

"No one is changing in broad daylight. It's too risky. And going out in our human form is not an option. Damon, you've been away for a while. Why don't you take the time to refresh your memory about the Mutts? All of your files are downstairs just where you left them. Take Elena with you. She needs to be brought up to speed anyway. We're gonna go over my plans for this evening when Sean gets here."

"And until then?" Ryan asked.

"Eat and rest up." Emma left the table and placed a hand on Elena's shoulder before leaving.

"Ready to rest up, Elena?" Ryan smirked.

"I don't need rest. If I can track Katherine Pierce, I can help you track this Mutt."

"You only tracked Katherine cause I did all the leg work for you," Damon muttered.

"She's new, Ryan. Take it easy on her," said Liam. Elena became annoyed. These guys didn't know anything about her. She was trained by Alaric and Damon. She had skills.

"Ryan, for your own safety, do not poke the sleeping bear that is Elena Gilbert, the Warrior Princess," Damon warned.

"I don't need you guys to take it easy on me," Elena replied.

"Now you've done it," Damon grumbled.

"Prove it. Five minutes. Back patio," Ryan challenged. Elena accepted the challenge and when she later walked out onto the patio, Ryan tried to take her from behind, but she blocked his punch and pushed him out into the backyard. Liam walked outside with Damon to observe the fight. Elena punched Ryan, knocking him into a wall, but he banked off the wall and attacked again. Elena kicked him in the stomach, but he knocked her into the wall and she fell a few feet into an open space below the main level of the house which led to the basement.

"Tell me you're not letting him off easy," said Damon.

"Maybe."

"You're a horrible liar," said Ryan. "You're soft."

"Really?" Elena jumped out of the hole, leapt on Ryan, and used her legs to flip him onto the ground. Damon and Liam both cringed.

"Damn. Your girl's got skills," said Liam.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." When Elena released him, Ryan jumped up.

"I stand corrected."

"Corrected, yes. Standing? Hardly." She grabbed his arm and swept his legs out from under him.

"Whoa!" Liam laughed. "Sweep the leg."

"Nice move, Cobra Kai," Ryan growled before jumping up and grabbing Elena in a headlock. "I admit you took me by surprise. Welcome to the family, little sister." He kissed her cheek before releasing her.

"Hard to practice this stuff anywhere else," said Liam to Damon who nodded.

"Damon Salvatore spectating at a fight?" Ryan taunted. "There's a first."

"Not spectating. Assessing."

"Assessing the ass-kicking I'll give you?"

"Oh, God," Liam muttered.

"And why would I want to humiliate my oldest and dearest friend?"

"Elena, don't you wanna see me destroy your boyfriend?"

"For pure entertainment value, yes," Elena replied. Damon shook his head and walked toward Ryan. Damon tackled Ryan to the floor, but Ryan used his feet to grab Damon in a headlock and flip him off him. The two men stood up and when Ryan attacked, Damon flipped the smaller man over him. Damon attempted to punch him, but Ryan grabbed his hand. Damon flipped over and grabbed Ryan in a headlock.

"Damnit. Can't you just let me win once?"

"It's not in my nature."

"Same thing since we broke out of Augustine, huh?"

"No, this was different," said Liam. "This time you managed not to piss yourself." Emma and Dominic watched from upstairs as they laughed.

"Damon's right you know," said Dominic. "We could be out there right now, tracking the Mutt as vampires."

"He seems to hunt at night. That's the time when we can best track him. And I want more time to assess the girl's skills."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that she makes Damon happy. She makes him smile. I'm also thinking that she could be just what this family needs."

Later, Damon showed Elena the basement of the Blackbriar estate where a metal cage was set up and several maps and voluminous files were kept. As Damon pulled out a stack of files, Elena walked around the room, looking through various documents.

_Made certain, from this point forward, the two factions of Augustine vampires - the noble Pack, who set and maintain rules; and the Mutts, lone Augustine vampires who are to be policed and punished…of the rules, the foremost is maintaining the secrecy of our kind. We are forbidden from undergoing the Change in front of humans, or from killing them, unless the Change occurs in their presence or the Hunger becomes too strong._

Liam then walked down the stairs.

"I've tried to make sense of all this for the past three years. But you, my friend, have a filing system that goes beyond cryptic," said Liam to Damon.

"It's not cryptic to me. Emma put you on Mutt detail?"

"No. Like an idiot, I volunteered. What you see is how you left it. You'll want to add Zachary Cain to your shit list. I haven't had a chance to update the file, but Sean had a run-in with him a few months back."

"Good to know. Each Mutt tracked and accounted for."

An hour later, the whole family save for Sean met downstairs.

"So, I caught up on all the recent scents and locations of the usual suspects: Mutts with a history of run-ins with the Pack. For starters, Zachary Cain. He was running a car theft ring. Sean caught him, shut it down. But I don't have anything recent on Malcolm Sinagra," said Damon.

"My father?" Emma asked. "He's dead."

"When?"

"Eight months ago. We got word that he'd been challenged by a Mutt in Churchill. Someone was always taking a run at him. Eventually, he had to lose."

"I don't know what to say."

"My father hated me ever since I was born. I guess I wasn't the daughter he imagined having. And after the battle for the Alpha, there's no way we could reconcile. I never did understand why Klaus turned him or how a man as powerful as he was got captured by Augustine. I don't grieve the man. I guess I might grieve for the father he might have been."

"Good fathers are hard to come by. No one hates the Pack more than Daniel Santos. I killed his brother, Daniel was excommunicated."

"That's a good thought, but that was not his scent."

"Look what the fox dragged in," said Ryan, coming downstairs with Sean.

"He's not kidding. He basically dragged me down here from the front door."

"It's good to see you, Sean."

"You must be Elena. Ryan's told me all about you," said Sean, shaking her hand.

"It's a pleasure."

"Alright. Everyone's here, let's get started," said Emma. "A local girl was killed by a Mutt. Her body was dumped on the outskirts of town. Now we have hunters on the edge of our property. And with the bounty on this wolf, you can be sure that there will be more. We're gonna put an end to this. Tonight. Now, Damon has pulled up files on Mutts with the most recent vendettas against the Pack, starting with Zachary Cain."

"I left him hurting. He got the message," Sean replied.

"Let's not forget that we could be dealing with anybody who's crossed our path in the past. Liam and Sean, I want you in the west end of the city. Dominic and I will take the center of town. And I want the rest of you to check out the industrial area. You can change if you have to, but obviously, discretion is the key."

After leaving the house, Elena, Ryan, and Damon walked down an alley.

"How do you want to do this?" Ryan asked.

"We split up, meet back here if we find nothing. Signal if we do," said Damon. Energy sparked from Ryan.

"We're changing?" Elena asked.

"We'll cover more ground," Damon replied.

"What about the hunters?"

"We stay upwind of them. We'll smell them before they see us."

"Simple fact is, if we find this Mutt, I wanna be in kitsune form," said Ryan.

"Let's run," said Damon. They all changed and took separate paths. Elena was the first to locate the Mutt's hiding place. It seemed since her transformation, her sense of smell had improved remarkably. Damon, in human form, patted Elena's fur. "I'll meet you inside." After changing back, Elena walked inside.

"This place smells like death. How did you find it before me?" Elena asked.

"I didn't. I followed you." Ryan then walked in. "The Mutt isn't here."

"Any beat on his scent?"

"It's new to me."

"It almost smells newly-turned," said Elena, smelling the air.

"You're telling me you can smell newly-turned?" Ryan asked skeptical.

"I'm telling you that it smells different than the two of you." Elena located the source of the death smell she'd discovered. "Oh God." She pulled out hair and a piece of scalp from under the bed.

"Chunk of scalp? No wonder it smells like death in here," Ryan replied.

"Another killing."

"We should get back to Emma with this news," said Damon.

"Unless you want to stay here and wait for this Mutt, snap his neck," Ryan replied.

"No. He might smell us and steer a wide berth. Best thing is to change and head home so we can regroup."

An hour later, they met with everyone back at the house.

"It's no one we've met before. It's someone new. Elena thinks he's newly turned," said Damon.

"Well, if he's new, he obviously doesn't know the rules. And if he doesn't know the rules, clearly he doesn't realize that he threatens to expose all of us if he changes in front of a human," said Ryan. "If one of the Originals ever found from a human about us…"

"That's not going to happen. We set up a perimeter around his place, and we watch. When he comes out, we grab him, very quietly. I want him alive. I want to know who turned him," said Emma. "We cannot have Mutts being made indiscriminately and unleashed on the world. Let's move out."

They walked out of the house when Sean ran up to the group, having gone out to the forest to try to catch the Mutt's scent.

"You're gonna want to see this," he said. They all ran into the surrounding woods.

"What is it?" Emma asked. Elena was shocked at the body lying on the ground.

"He's just a child."


	4. Fire In Your New Shoes

"This kill, it's the same scent as the Mutt from the flophouse," said Elena.

"It's the same one that killed the girl before. And now a young boy. This has got to stop," Emma growled. Damon then moved over the body.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked.

"He dumped him here to put a target on our backs. We have to move him." Emma then heard a noise.

"There's hunters on our property."

"Trespassing won't matter if they find this," said Dominic.

"Ryan, help me move him."

"No, leave the body there," Emma ordered.

"If they find a body, we'll be overrun with police."

"It's gonna be a lot worse if they catch us trying to cover this up." The hunters including Braxton then arrived.

"My god. It's a kid. What the hell did you people do?"

"We had nothing to do with this," Damon replied.

"It's the Richardson boy."

"We just found the body. I was about to call the police," said Emma.

"Looks like another wolf attack," Elena added.

"Yeah? We'll let the Commissioner decide that. In the meantime, we'll stick around, make sure no one messes with the evidence."

"Believe me, we have no intention of tampering with evidence," said Dominic.

"The best thing is for everybody to just back away from the boy's body. We will wait for the police," said Emma.

"Look, I don't know what you people are doing out here, but this is the second wolf kill in a couple of days and you've got goddamn tracks all over your property," Braxton argued.

"It's private property," Damon replied.

"Maybe you'd like to explain what the Richardson boy is doing out here."

"You're implying what's happened here is our fault?"

"Your property, dead body, you do the math." In order to neutralize a potential deadly confrontation, Elena began looking at Braxton's dog, Blue, and unleashed the aura of her vampire presence, something Rebekah had taught her. The dog began whimpering and barking, trying to get away.

"We have nothing to do with this. Anybody who thinks that is a fool," said Damon as he and Braxton continued to argue.

"You're calling me a fool?"

"Easy. Everybody just calm down now," Emma mediated.

"It's time for you to go." Braxton popped the safety off his rifle. However as Blue escaped, distracting him, Damon grabbed the rifle and hit Braxton in the face with it.

"Hey, what the hell? Blue!" Braxton yelled.

"Next time you pop the safety off your gun, I'm gonna give you reason to use it."

"That's enough. Enough," Emma ordered. "The most important thing is to do right by this boy and his family now. Dominic, Ryan, escort these gentlemen to the front gate and you wait for the Commissioner."

"Blue!" Braxton yelled.

"Hey, come on, Braxton! The damn dog will find his own way home." Damon handed Braxton his gun back.

"We'll see what the Commissioner has to say about this."

"Come on. Let's get out of here." The humans then left.

"Who would do this to a child?" Elena asked.

"That's what we have to find out." Emma then pulled out her cellphone. "Commissioner Morgan? This is Emma Sinagra. There's been another killing." After the phone call, everyone else walked back to the house. "Goading the dog was very clever, Elena."

"That dog could have attacked you," Damon scolded.

"You act like I've never been bitten before."

"The hunters are off the property," said Liam, entering the room.

"For now, anyway," Sean added.

"At the rate that this Mutt's going, that's not going to last for very long," Emma replied.

"The first kill was on the outskirts of the city, the second one was dropped in our backyard, what's his plan?" Elena asked.

"He's drawing attention to us and he's upped the stakes by killing a kid," Liam answered.

"He's escalating. He's turning up the heat, bit by bit," Emma added.

"But why?" Elena asked.

"Maybe he just likes to kill women and children and wants to flaunt it in our territory," said Damon as Dominic walked in the room with Ryan.

"Commissioner just arrived. He's heading out to see the body," he said.

"Dominic, you and I will deal with Commissioner Morgan. Elena, you and Damon go into the city. See if you can pick up the scent of the Mutt. Start with the bars. I want him alive. I need to know who turned him before we mete out punishment."

"There is someone out there who knows the Mutt rumor mill better than us," said Dominic.

"Karl Marsten," Ryan added.

"If he's even in the country," said Sean.

"Find out, Ryan. If he is, I want you and Sean to track him down and see what he knows," Emma ordered.

"Got it."

"Well, hey, I'll just stick around here and do some sweeping up. I can clean out the fireplace, too if…" Liam joked.

"Liam, you go with Ryan and Sean. A little show of force is always useful with Karl Marsten."

"A show of force. Hear that?"

"Oh, it's so nice not being the youngest around here anymore," said Ryan as he left with Liam and Sean. Emma and Dominic soon followed suit, joining the Commissioner at the crime scene.

"Word's spreading through town. They've upped the bounty on the wolf," he said.

"I thought that hunting wolves was illegal."

"Before this gets any worse, I'd rather have a slap on the wrist from Wildlife Control than see another dead body turn up."

"Tense nerves and firearms just doesn't seem to be the safest combination, Commissioner."

"I hear you. But people want justice. Killing that wolf might just give them the closure they need."

"Everyone's back up at the house. They're pretty shaken up," said Dominic.

"How is it you all found this boy together?"

"Well, we were out for a walk and that's when we saw him."

"You have a lot of problems with kids trespassing on your property?"

"Not usually. The occasional party in the woods. Teenagers."

"I have a vague memory of being one. Any idea why an 11-year-old boy would even be out here?"

"Absolutely none," Emma replied. The Commissioner nodded and returned to his job.

"What's your take on things?" Dominic asked his old friend.

"Better we find this Mutt before he does. For all our sakes."

Meanwhile, Damon and Elena were roaming the streets of London.

"I never realized London had so many bars," Elena whined.

"Well, it is a pretty big city. And so far, our Mutt's been to all of them."

"Yeah, well it's easy hunting grounds. But his scent's still too faint. Couple days old at least. There's nothing new in the air but rotten tomatoes, milk that's about to turn, diesel, sweat…"

"Your senses are improving. I'm impressed." Elena shrugged. The two were then met in town by Braxton's friend, Jason.

"Surprised to see you two in town," he said.

"Nothing like a little English hospitality," Damon muttered.

"Just come from Bill Richardson's. He runs the gas station on the way out to your place. I'm sure you've filled up there a bunch of times."

"We have," Elena replied.

"Well, that kid we found on your property was his grandson. So you're probably going to want to find a new place to fill up for a while."

"Look, we had nothing to do with his death. Don't you think that we feel horrible too?"

"We saw the paw prints. Braxton's convinced that there's a wolf roaming around on your property and you aren't doing much to stop it."

"That's not the case," Damon replied.

"Well, his dog's still missing. And if that wolf gets Blue, blame's going directly on you."

"We'll keep an eye out for Blue, okay?" Elena said.

"And the wolf."

"We're all on the lookout for that," Damon growled. The human then left.

"I don't get it. Some Mutt comes blazing through London, leaving behind three dead bodies, one specifically left on Blackbriar property, and then vanishes. Why?"

"Maybe he made his point and left town? Or he's gone mad with the Change."

"Yeah, but he could kill in any dark corner of the world but he's here. There's a reason. Those kills are a message."

"Then we find him and ask. Up close and personal." Elena then saw a flyer for a rave posted to the side of a mailbox.

"And I think I know just where to look."

That evening, Emma revisited the crime scene where the Commissioner was working with some officers.

"I see you've called in the reinforcements," Emma said.

"The victim's a child. Makes everyone move faster. Even the government. Those two are wildlife experts."

"What do they think they're going to find?"

"Hopefully, an indication of what kind of animal we're dealing with."

"Oh, I thought this was a wolf."

"Could be. The boys aren't so sure. Something about the size of the prints and the length of the stride. I'm not even gonna start guessing. It'll only add fuel to the rumors. Could be a long night."

"Well, if you or any of your colleagues need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I appreciate that, Ms. Sinagra. All we need are some answers, and we're not gonna stop until we find some."

Meanwhile, Sean, Liam, and Ryan had arrived at an empty building in London.

"I wanted to show you guys my new club anyway, so I thought I'd have Marsten just come meet us here. It's a work in progress. I haven't told my dad I bought the place yet," Ryan said.

"And because your investment acumen is stellar," Sean added.

"I think that was delivered with irony, but I'm gonna take it as a compliment."

"How are those Facebook shares working for you?" Liam asked.

"Is there a dislike button for what happened to those stocks?"

"You know, I like to think of my financial past as isolated teaching moments which have brought me to where I am today."

"How's that working for you?" Liam asked as they entered the building.

"Gentlemen. What do you think?"

"Hot mess time machine? Dude, do not tell your father about this," Liam joked.

"Come on, you guys, once it's reno'd it could be a vision. You'll like what's coming our way." A woman then approached them.

"Ryan."

"Amanda, you look stunning."

"I wasn't expecting you. The carpenters won't be here for another week."

"Just a little bit of business. Amanda, meet my old friends. This is Liam and Sean. Guys, Amanda here is gonna overhaul the place for me."

"Well, at least you have the good sense to hire someone with taste," said Sean.

"Hey, I have taste, okay?" Marsten then walked through a door, smoking a cigar.

"How'd Marsten get here so fast?" Sean asked.

"Time to rock and roll, boys," said Liam.

"Let's play it cool," Ryan replied. Amanda approached Martsen with an ash tray.

"A hand-rolled Casanegra. A man of refined tastes. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to cigar smoke, so would you mind?" she asked.

"Soft approach, appealing to my obvious class, and a winning smile. Why ever is a butterfly like you caught up in a white trash net like this?"

"You know, honoring a lady's polite request is much more flattering than praise."

"Then your wish is my command." Amanda then walked away and Marsten turned to the Pack. "You called? If it were for my design advice, I would suggest starting with a blowtorch."

"Can I get you a drink?" Ryan asked.

"One part vodka, two parts poison?"

"We don't have any bad blood, do we?"

"Between us? Of course not. Let's get to it, shall we?"

Outside the rave, Damon had parked his car.

"GPS says this is the place." Elena flipped down the car mirror and pulled her hair out of its bun. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going in alone."

"That's not gonna happen," he scoffed.

"I can handle this, okay? If he's in there, the two of us going in at the same time…"

"Yeah, it's liable to spook him. You're right. Drive him towards that door. I'll grab him on the way out."

"That's actually not a terrible plan."

"It's not my first Mutt hunt."

"How do I look?" Damon kissed her.

"Perfect." Elena left the car and walked inside. She quickly spotted the Mutt through his scent. She walked over to him.

"You know who I am?" she asked.

"I know what you are. I can smell it. Seems you and I share something very special in common."

"You killed three innocent people."

"They break so easily now. I love this."

"What you broke are the rules. Killing people for sport isn't allowed."

"You ever see the look in their eyes when they're about to die? When they realize that you are death. I'm not gonna let your rules get in the way of my fun."

"Wrong answer." She began to walk away to lure him in, but he grabbed her.

"I don't think you can stop me getting what I want."

"Back off."

"What if I don't feel like it?" She hit his arm, removing his grip on her, and grabbed him by the throat, pushing him into the wall. She then inserted a hand in his chest.

"Feel that?" The Mutt then began to spark with energy. "Crap. Calm down. You'll Change right here! Calm the hell down!"

"I don't know how!" Elena then dragged him into an office and closed the door. As he changed, he hit the door and Elena stood in front of it, keeping it closed.

Back at Ryan's building, he and Marsten were playing pool.

"You certainly are an international Mutt of mystery. Last I heard you were in Prague, but yet here you are at a moment's notice. I'm curious to know what you're doing in the area," said Ryan.

"You think I don't know how to set up a Google alert? Wolf attacks in London. That means something is happening. I like to be close to the action."

"What have you heard?" Liam asked.

"Nothing yet. But the fact you're asking suggests that you haven't heard anything either."

"We know a new Mutt is causing this."

"Hm. Very interesting."

"What we want to know is who turned him," said Sean.

"Ah, yes, the million dollar question. I could find out."

"For a price, I'm sure," Ryan replied.

"Just some goodwill from the Pack."

"You have something specific in mind?" Sean asked.

"I've stuck by your rules. I'm always on the move. I've never stayed in one place for long."

"We still don't know what it is you want."

"Just an open mind from Emma on my desire for territory. Sometimes is nice to have a place to put your feet up. I'll find out who turned your little problem. Maybe I'll even walk him up to your front door."

At the rave, after not hearing any more noise, Elena opened the door and found the Mutt had escaped up into the roof.

"Shit." She walked into the party and looked around the room before hearing screaming. The kitsune was up on a palette, growling, and then began killing people. As people screamed and escaped from the carnage, Damon ran in and he and Elena cornered the Mutt. It ran out the door as the police arrived. Damon and Elena hid behind some palettes as the Mutt jumped onto a car and the police shot at it. The Mutt wasn't fazed at all and went to attack an officer when a semi ran over it, completing destroying him. Damon and Elena then vamp-sped away.

Across town, Liam, Ryan, and Sean were discussing their encounter with Marsten.

"So, what do you think?" Liam asked.

"He's pretty confident. Already negotiating a deal," said Ryan.

"He clearly knows more than he's letting on," Sean added.

"Well, holding out on us isn't a good idea. Emma would bust him a new hole. I don't think he's that stupid," said Liam.

"He's a sociopath," Sean replied.

"He's a con man," Ryan corrected.

"A con man is a sociopath, he's just good at hiding it." Liam's phone began ringing.

"Hold up, hold up. Emma, what's happening?" Liam answered.

"The Mutt's dead," said Emma.

"Damon and Elena?"

"They're both safe. They didn't get a chance to question him."

"Okay, well, Marsten didn't cop to much."

"We'll figure that out eventually. Listen, you and Sean don't have to come back to Blackbriar. We'll take it from here."

"Okay. Well, you know how to find me, amigo." He ended the call. "Scratch a killer Mutt off the list of life."

"Let me guess. Damon got him," said Sean.

"All I know is Emma says you and I can go. I'm going to see if I can catch the rest of the tour."

"I got a lady waiting on me," said Sean.

"Come on, man. Hug it out, baby. Hug it out! Hug it like you own it!" Liam joked as he and Sean hugged.

"Okay, okay, okay." Liam then turned to Sean.

"You."

"No wedgies." Liam bear-hugged him.

"God! I love you guys."

"Love you too."

"My boys."

Back at Blackbriar, Dominic and Emma were having a drink.

"Emma, really, it's no hardship to stay on another night or two," said Dominic.

"The townspeople got their killer. Those hunters won't come back."

"Maybe it's time we canvassed all the Mutts. Remind them why it's best to follow the rules."

"That's a very good idea, my friend. But that is a project for tomorrow." Damon and Elena then walked into the room.

"We're going for a run," he said before they left.

Later that evening, Dominic put on his coat and Ryan walked down the stairs.

"We're leaving tonight?" Ryan asked.

"I should head back to the city. We've got another issue to deal with."

"Marsten."

"Exactly. I don't like the fact that he was so close by. It was like he was waiting for our call."

"He sure knows how to sniff out an opportunity."

"And money. You and I are gonna follow his financial tracks. See what he's up to. Get your stuff." A few minutes later, Ryan and Dominic began to drive out of Blackbriar when they saw Elena and Damon in their kitsune forms stopped by the gate. They were shocked at what their family members were looking at. Liam was dead. Elena and Damon returned to their human forms and Emma was immediately called out to the front gate.

"He's not wearing his jacket. He always took it off before a fight," said Dominic as Damon looked at Liam's hands.

"He didn't go down without hurting someone," he said.

"Who did this?" Emma asked. Damon smelled the scent on him.

"I don't know." Damon then showed them that Liam's ring finger was missing. Emma looked away in disgust.


	5. Hunger Of The Pine

"In the tradition of Augustine vampires, we come together today to bid farewell to one of our own," said Emma during Liam's eulogy. His ashes were bottled in a terracotta pot, sitting on the library table. "Liam, uh, was one of a kind. He squeezed the most out of life every day and night. He made everyone around him happier. I'm going to miss the hell out of you. We were blessed to be your family and know that your death won't be in vain." The Blackbriar coven toasted to Liam and then they heard a howl from the forest.

"I'm betting it's the Mutt who killed Liam," Ryan growled.

"Son of a bitch is taunting us," Damon added.

"Dominic, you, Ryan, and Sean come around from the east, we'll come in from the west," Emma ordered. Soon, she supersped with Elena and Damon through the forest.

"Where is he?" Damon asked.

"He was just here," Elena replied. "I smell him." She then saw something on a branch.

"That's Liam's jacket."

"He's baiting us," said Emma as they were joined by Dominic, Ryan, and Sean.

"We lost the scent. He's gone," Dominic replied.

"We can still find him," Elena insisted.

"By the time we Change, he'll be long gone."

"Dominic's right. Tonight we mourn for Liam. Tomorrow we hunt," Emma growled before retreating back to Blackbriar.

The following morning, Elena was partaking in some coffee mixed with her blood. She had poured a batch for Damon.

"I heard you coming," she said when he walked into the room.

"Thanks."

"Did you sleep?"

"No."

"You want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about? A Mutt killed him. I'm sorry. It's just…"

"Hard. I know. I know this world plays by a different set of rules, but I don't understand. Why Liam?"

"It could be that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, or it could be that he was targeted. Either way, it sends a hell of a message."

"That what, we're vulnerable?"

"The Pack's rule is being challenged. Have you seen Emma?"

"Yeah, she's outside. Hey. You know I'm here for you, right?"

"I know." He kissed Elena's forehead. "Thank you." He then walked outside and found Emma in the forest, scattering Liam's ashes.

"Liam loved it out here," she said before she handed Damon the urn.

"Such a force of life reduced to just a few handfuls of ashes. To see Liam like this, it stirs up emotions in me that I haven't felt in a long time."

"I understand that you're angry."

"Of course I'm angry! How can you be so complacent? What if it was me in that urn? Would you feel the same way?"

"Are you asking if I would grieve? If I would mourn your loss? Like you were my child."

"What about avenging my death like you should be doing for Liam right now?"

"Being consumed with bloodlust is not in your nature, Damon."

"I've been gone a long time, Emma. You don't have the right to say what's in my nature anymore." He stalked through the forest and punched a tree. Elena appeared behind him.

"That won't bring him back."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"I've never seen you like this before."

"Because I've never let you see this side of me, because I've never had somebody that I loved brutally murdered." Elena hugged him. "This is ridiculous. There's only one way to get this out of my system. Let's go for a run."

"It's daylight."

"So?"

"Okay, what about the Commissioner? The hunters?"

"We stay to the northwest corner of the property. They'll never see us. Elena, the past twenty-four hours has tied us both in knots. We need this." Soon, the two changed and in the midst of their run, Damon jumped on Elena. Elena kicked him off before running again.

Meanwhile, Emma approached Commissioner Morgan who was taking some notes near the front gate of Blackbriar.

"Morning, Commissioner. Just finishing up here?" Emma asked.

"Just about."

"Well, now that that wolf is dead, I hope all this is behind us."

"Hmm, I hope so too. Still a couple unanswered questions."

"Such as?"

"Well, we've determined this isn't the kill site. Which means the boy was killed somewhere else. Why would a wolf kill a child and then drag his body all the way out here?"

"I don't know. That's a very good question."

"Glad you think so. I have another one: can you think of anybody who has a beef against you?"

"Not that I know of. Why?"

"Well, because, even though the boy was killed by a wolf, I suspect he was dumped here. Why would somebody do that, except to send a message?"

"I make my living as a painter. The most ruthless people I associate with are art dealers. Not exactly the type to do something like this. We keep to ourselves up here. You know that."

"Yeah, I also know in this past week, we've had four deaths, one missing person, and a situation that just doesn't add up. I'm not making accusations, Ms. Sinagra. I'm just trying to make sense of things."

"Well, please let me know when you do." She then returned to the house.

A few hours later, Elena snuck into the house, wearing only her underwear. She hadn't had time to change into her clothes after her and Damon's romp in the woods.

"Elena," Sean called before seeing her state of undress. "Oh, uh, Emma wants us in the living room."

"Mind if I change first?"

"Kind of," Ryan smirked. Elena rolled her eyes and walked upstairs. Damon then walked in stark naked. "Damon! Did you two have a nice run?" Damon grabbed Ryan by the neck.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, like, a run. Frolicking in the woods, maybe some nuzzling."

"You're not worth it," Damon rolled his eyes and released Ryan.

"Hey, listen, I don't mind when Elena romps around the house naked, but please, put some clothes on. Okay, you're making Sean here feel inadequate," Ryan replied as Damon walked up the stairs.

"Don't displace your own insecurities onto me," Sean scoffed.

Down in the basement, Emma was looking at a map when Dominic entered the room.

"Planting a body on our property, killing Liam, and not one new Mutt but two. Why? And why now?" he asked.

"That's what we have to find out."

"What's the plan?"

"Do you remember the last time the Pack had troubles like this?"

"That was many years ago."

"The old days of the Mutt hunts, when we would start at the bottom of the Mutt food chain and we would work our way to the top."

"Until all the Mutts finally capitulated to Pack rules. So that's the plan, a full-out Mutt hunt?"

"Dominic, there's a part of me that would like to slaughter every last one. Liam's death was avoidable. It only happened because I became complacent."

"You can't blame yourself."

"I'm the Alpha! It is my job to keep my Pack safe!"

"We lost a brother because we, _we_, all underestimated the threat out there. We all thought it was a rogue. And now it looks like we're dealing with something bigger. But let's not let our grief and our desire for revenge cloud the issue, which is that the Pack is us: you, me, the boys, and Elena. Yes, you are the Alpha, our leader. But we are in this together."

"Come here." They hugged.

"So how do you want to play this? Do we start spilling Mutt blood?"

"Not yet. There's still too many unknowns, and we cannot risk another loss. And I may be placing the sins of the few on the many. Might not be smart to risk the backlash of the majority of Mutts if they have nothing to do with this."

"What do you need me to do?"

"First thing is I need you to tie up Liam's loose ends."

"It's already in the works."

"Good. And then I need you to reach out to the other Pack families. If this Mutt activity is solely directed at Blackbriar, it is meant to unseat me."

"Well, if it is, we'll be ready to deal with it."

By the Thames River, a man was fishing when he was joined by Commissioner Morgan.

"Morning, Emerson."

"Ah, Morgan. You finally ready to try your hand at catching some perch?"

"Not yet."

"Yeah, well, you'll come around. And when you do, I've got the perfect bait for you right here. Salted minnows. I do them myself. Special blend. Yeah, they're so effective, they ought to be against the law."

"It's good you're no longer commissioner, then."

"Okay. You didn't come here to talk about fishing."

"What can you tell me about the Sinagra family?"

"The Sinagras. There's an interesting bunch. I'm sure you've heard all the rumors."

"Pfff! I've heard mafia, devil worship, sex cult. Am I missing anything?"

"Mm-mmm. Sounds like you're right up to speed."

"You ever had any dealings with them?"

"Well, I only had occasion to go out to Blackbriar once. Couple of years before I retired. A telephone worker, he was out stringing wire along the Sinagra's western property line. The fella just vanished. I mean, we found his truck eventually, bottom of a ravine, but no one ever heard from him again."

"Did you think the Sinagras had something to do with his disappearance?"

"We never found a body. I'm not sure that a criminal act was even committed, but some people speculated that, uh, he might have seen something out at Blackbriar he wasn't supposed to. Why, you having some problems with the Sinagras?"

"No, but it appears somebody is."

"You talking about the body of that Richardson boy you found?"

"Yeah, it was dumped on Blackbriar property. So I'm guessing either Ms. Sinagra has some serious enemies or someone from the city has a hell of a chip on their shoulder. There's something about that family that just doesn't sit right with me."

"I felt the same way. Take a longer look at the Sinagra family. But be careful. I don't want to see you wind up like that telephone lineman."

"I can take care of myself."

"I know that. Be careful just the same."

At Blackbriar, Emma was having a meeting with Damon, Elena, Ryan, and Sean.

"I sent Dominic to deal with the fallout from Liam's disappearance, and bring the other families up to speed. In the meantime, we have two Mutts to deal with. For starters, we need to identify the dead one from the rave and find out who made him. Ryan, you and Sean go to the flophouse where he lived. Turn it upside down. Wipe it clean when you're finished. I want you to be very careful. All of you. We thought the threat was over when the first Mutt died. And Liam paid for our mistake. We know better now. Damon, I want you and Elena to go into town. Assess the mood of the locals. More importantly, I want to see if you can pick up the scent of the new killer."

"If he's in town, we'll find him," said Elena.

"When you do, I want him alive. Are we clear?"

"We're clear," Damon replied. When they left, Damon and Elena stopped by the gate. Elena took in the scent from the post.

"Definitely the same scent as the Mutt from the woods last night," she said.

"Let's go get this bastard."

A few minutes later, Damon and Elena stopped at a bar to get a bite to eat and tap into the local gossip.

"Boys. Still no word from Braxton."

"He's probably sleeping off a drunk."

"No, he said he's going back up to Blackbriar. Wanted to find his dog and deal with Salvatore."

"Well, he's right over there. Why don't you go ask him?"

"Huh. I think I will." Damon and Elena got up to leave when Braxton's friend stopped them.

"We're leaving," said Damon.

"Remember our buddy, Michael Braxton?"

"The guy who can't control his dog or his gun. What about him?"

"Well, he's missing. Thought maybe you knew something about it."

"Why would we?" Elena asked.

"I don't know. Last night he said he was going to go over to your place, make things square."

"So what, you're saying he came out to Blackbriar, and then what?"

"We don't know. That's why we're asking."

"Haven't seen him. But when he surfaces, tell him I'd be happy to make things square," Damon growled.

"Damon, let's go," said Elena.

"No, no, no. We're not done here."

"We are," Damon replied before passing him. The man attempted to throw a punch, but Elena grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry your friend is missing, but don't make things worse." She pushed him into a table. "We've got a city full of angry and suspicious people. Now that Braxton's missing, it's really going to turn up the heat. That Mutt really stirred things up."

"All the more reason to find him quickly and put him down. You didn't have to do that in there." Elena linked arms with Damon.

"Well, no one hits my boyfriend. I was happy to defend your honor and the last thing we needed was for you to get into a brawl with the locals."

"I can handle confrontation without hitting someone in the face." Elena stopped walking. "You got something?"

"It's hard to tell. It's faint. Let's go." They walked down an alley and stopped at a motel. "He was definitely here. Let's hope he still is."

"Only one way to find out."

"You want upstairs or downstairs?"

"Well, if he's smart, he'd take a room on the first floor. Direct access, easy to come and go at all hours."

"So, downstairs."

"I said if he was smart. And I'm betting he's not."

"I'll take the second floor, you take the first."

"Hey, we do this as a team."

"You think I can't hold my own?"

"What are you talking about? I need you to cover my back." Elena tracked the scent to a room and Damon broke the doorknob.

"Let's see what we can find," said Elena when they entered the room.

"Looks like I was right. Dumb as a sack of rocks," said Damon, emerging from the bathroom with a can of cologne. "Body spray kills the olfactory senses. Stupid new Mutt mistake."

"Here's another stupid Mutt mistake," said Elena, finding something between the mattress and box spring.

"Keeps a scrapbook."

"A woman in Dayton. The murderer was never found. A nurse in Milwaukee, a college student in Cleveland. All women, all tortured, all killed. Look at this." She showed him a lock of hair.

"Trophy hunter. This is bad."

"First the Mutt at the rave, and now this. Someone's turning psychotic murderers into Augustine vampires."

"Turning them loose on us." They heard a car screech and looked out the window. They saw a man get out of a truck and stop another man walking. "Zachary Cain. Something's not right. Cain's not smart enough to come up with a plan, even one as twisted as this."

"That guy must be the new Mutt. He's the one that killed Liam."

"I say we take him off the board now."

"I wish we could, but you heard Emma: bring them back alive."

"That's when we thought we were dealing with a single Mutt. Bringing back two is going to be a lot more difficult."

"I think things just got more complicated. There's three."

"That's no ordinary Mutt. That's Karl Marsten."

"I thought Mutts were rogue Augustine vampires. Since when do they work together?"

"Never."

"We have to get back and tell Emma." They went into an adjoining room, but not before taking the scrapbook and spraying the room with body spray.

"Smell that?" Marsten asked from outside.

"We've got company," said Cain. They burst into the room, but found it empty. "Damn it."

"Is this your cologne?" Marsten asked. "Moron."

"Yeah. Moron," Cain agreed.

"Damon Salvatore and a lovely new Pack scent. Intoxicating." Damon and Elena ducked out of the adjoining room and jumped down to the first floor.

"I can't smell anything except that damn body spray," Cain growled.

"You're an idiot to take a room here. You were told specifically to join us at the warehouse."

"I need my own space."

"Let me make this perfectly clear, Thomas LeBlanc. We made you. We own you. You do what we tell you." Damon and Elena then left for Blackbriar where Ryan had rustled up some information.

"Found these at the dead Mutt's flophouse. Prison issue," he said, showing Emma a pair of shoes.

"How do you know?" Damon asked.

"On the inside they're stamped 'Bedford Correctional Facility.' Turns out to be one of Bedfordshire's finer establishments."

"Which means our man escaped from prison," said Elena.

"That's what I figured, yeah."

"But why keep the shoes?" Ryan asked.

"He's a collector. The shoes are a trophy of his escape, his triumph over the penal system," Emma replied. "These three men escaped from Bedford three months ago."

"That's him. The one from the rave," Elena indicated.

"Scott Brandon. He was serving a life sentence for a string of brutal rapes and murders in 2009."

"Marsten and Cain are purposely converting these psychos into Augustine vampires?" Ryan asked.

"That doesn't track. Cain's not smart enough to make his own Pack, and Marsten's the ultimate loner," said Damon.

"Maybe he was, but he's not working alone anymore," Emma replied.

"Marsten was talking about using a warehouse, which means they've probably got an operation going."

"First, they convert new Mutts. Second, they put the spotlight on us so that it restricts our movement. Third, they attack us directly, murdering Liam."

"We're not dealing with the typical run-of-the-mill Mutts here, these are cold-blooded killers. If they were to take us out, it'd be chaos."

"And without the Pack enforcing the law, these Mutts can run wild," said Ryan.

"And in time, our society would be revealed to the outside world. And man would do what man does best: war," Emma replied. "And it would not stop until one side or the other was completely wiped out."

"We can't let that happen," said Elena.

"There's only one way to take out these Mutts: we bury them. Are you ready for that?" Damon asked.

"If that's what it takes."

"It's time to take the fight to them," Emma resolved.

Meanwhile, Sean was at his loft when he received an unexpected visit.

"Sean."

"Daniel Santos."

"You got a minute?" Sean sighed and let the Augustine in.

At the motel, Emma was preparing a strike.

"We'll go in quietly. Damon, you and Elena go through the front door. Ryan and I will go in through the adjoining room."

"And if the Mutts are here?" Elena asked.

"We take them alive."

"We'll try," Damon replied. Emma quirked a brow. "We'll try hard."

At Sean's loft, Sean closed a glass door, shielding his conversation with Santos from his girlfriend.

"Nice place. Lavender. Is your girlfriend taking a bath?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Came here to talk to you about the situation at Blackbriar."

"Why me?"

"Because you're a rational guy. And because the Sinagra family hates my guts. Word of the attacks has spread. It sounds like those two killers are working in tandem."

"When have you ever known Mutts to be in league with one another?"

"Bound to happen sometime."

"Why?"

"Eventually they're going to get tired of the Pack imposing rules and push back. I shouldn't have to explain that to you, Sean."

"Well, you would understand the mind of a Mutt much better than I would, wouldn't you?"

"You may think of me as a Mutt, but before you came around, I was pure Pack."

"What do you want from me?"

"Convince Emma to let me come to Blackbriar. Let's talk about joining forces to deal with this situation."

"What about your relationship with Damon?"

"He killed my brother. But I'm willing to look past it. It's collateral damage. If there was ever a time for us to put our past behind us and to join forces, it's now."

Back at the motel, Damon was about to open the door when Elena saw a trip wire.

"Damon!" She pulled him away from the door a gunshot resounded. "You okay?"

"Yeah." The four vampires entered the room at the same time and saw a shotgun set up by the door.

"A lot of people could have heard that. We need to go," said Emma. Elena then saw a finger with a ring in a cup.

"That's Liam's," she said. She then looked to see a message on the wall. _I'm coming for my scrapbook, bitch._ "Let him try."


	6. Arabella

When the Blackbriar coven returned home, Emma, Damon, and Ryan took a look at LeBlanc's scrapbook in the basement.

"Turning humans into an army of Augustine vampires is bad enough. But recruiting serial killers? Marsten and Cain are coming after us with both barrels loaded," said Emma.

"Did you see this one?" Ryan asked.

"Skinned her," Damon groaned. Emma noticed Elena's disgusted expression from the staircase.

"That's enough."

"The rate they're able to drop dead bodies on us, they can't be far," Elena finally spoke up.

"Marsten showed up pretty quickly after Ryan called him at the bar," said Damon.

"I say we search between here and the city."

"I am not sending anybody blindly out chasing after Marsten and Cain," Emma replied. "We need to be strategic about this. I've sent word through Sean to Daniel Santos that I'm willing to talk."

"Ha!" Ryan laughed. "Santos doesn't talk so much as lie."

"He wants to trade information he has for reinstatement into the Pack. And I know he cannot be trusted, but I am at least willing to listen to what he has to say."

"The last member of the Santos family that walked through our doors tried to kill you," Damon growled.

"Our backs are up against a wall here. I need something to smoke Marsten and his crew out."

"Then let me lure this one. Let me be the bait. I'm the bitch that he wants," Elena replied.

"No," Damon and Emma both shot back.

"We will find them together," Emma added before walking away. A few minutes later, Damon approached Elena in the kitchen.

"You might be on to something with Marsten. There's a lot of cabins and warehouses between here and the city," he said.

"Doesn't matter. You heard Emma."

"We feign some business at Ryan's club. He'll cover for us. We track the area, see what we can find."

"You'd go against Emma?"

"Right now, I would." They then heard a car pull up. It was the commissioner and his assistant, looking for some answers about Braxton.

"I haven't seen Braxton since his dog lunged at my girlfriend," said Damon to the Commissioner.

"Word is he was coming up here to have it out with you. His dog's still missing."

"His dog never showed up. Neither did he."

"Yeah, well, vehicle was found deserted right by your property line," said Assistant Commissioner O'Neil.

"Are we being accused of something here?" Emma interceded.

"There's a trail of blood, leads from his truck towards your land. He could be out here somewhere, injured or incapacitated," said the Commissioner.

"If I did anything to the guy, why would I leave his truck at the edge of our property?"

"It suggests proximity. And so here we are, again."

"But we have nothing to do with this other than proximity," Emma replied.

"Look, the tow truck driver is a friend of Braxton's. In about twenty minutes, word is going to hit and people are going to start pointing fingers at you."

"So let them point. I didn't do anything."

"We all want this to come to a quick end. You are more than welcome to search the property," said Emma. "Now, it is a big piece of land. Maybe we should organize a search party. Some locals, members of my family, they know the land. If Michael Braxton's here, we'll find him."

"I'd appreciate that. Yeah, I'm going to go to town and round up some people. Assistant O'Neil, you stay here and deal with them as they arrive." Emma, Damon, and Elena then walked back inside the mansion.

"I'm sure you heard that you will be helping with the search," said Emma to Ryan.

"This is Marsten's doing. He must've heard Braxton running his mouth off in town, nabbed him, and then dumped his truck," Elena replied.

"And hung it on us," Ryan added.

"There's a very real possibility that Braxton's body is out there. Mutts wouldn't leave him alive to tell the truth," said Damon.

"Which is why we are allowing the police onto our property, and which is why we will help them look. If Braxton is here, this is the best chance for us to mitigate the situation when the body is found," Emma ordered.

"So why not stall them? Hell, compel them," Ryan suggested.

"No compelling!" Emma shouted. "That will make the situation worse. We don't have the manpower to compel the whole city of London."

"Then let me rip out there and see what's what."

"Not with Deputy Dipshit keeping watch," Damon snapped.

"The police are going to get a search warrant for this house. And the last thing we need is anybody poking around in here. So we will help them," Emma emphasized. Several minutes later, people started pouring in.

"Barely making mortgage payments and these guys are living like it's goddamn Skyfall up here," said Braxton's friend from earlier. He saw Damon walk out of the house. "No way. No way!"

"The Sinagra and Salvatore family have offered to help with the search," the Commissioner clarified.

"There is no way that he's going on this search."

"We've all been through a lot, I'm just looking to help," said Damon.

"Oh, yeah, you want to help? Why don't you help by making me not have to look at your face?"

"Stand down, everyone. We have a long day ahead of us," the Commissioner ordered.

"Commissioner Morgan, Damon and I have some family business that we could attend to inside. Damon?" They walked back into the house.

"Here's how we're going to run this," said the Commissioner. "We have a 100-acre plot of land to cover. We're going to fan out. We're going to march it in a grid formation. Keep the person on either side of you within sight. If Michael Braxton is out there, we will find him. We have got a lot of ground to cover today, people. If you see anything, and I mean anything, give a holler."

"I'm going to keep my eye on you. Just in case you decide to tamper with any evidence you may find," said Braxton's friend to Elena.

"I was thinking the same thing about you too."

Damon looked through the window as the group left.

"I should be out there."

"I think it would be best if you were in here when Daniel arrived," Emma replied, sitting at her desk.

"Why are you giving him the time of day? The guy can't be trusted."

"Do you remember when we first met? You had been cut on by the Augustines. Didn't trust anyone. Felt abandoned, alone. Do you remember how many days I had to sit quietly in our cell until you would approach me? Till you learned to trust me?"

"Weeks."

"Am I sitting in a metaphorical Augustine cell right now?"

"No."

"Damon, every decision I make is to protect the future of this Pack."

"Same as the choices I've made."

"Good. Then we're on the same page."

In the woods, Ryan and Elena were walking side-by-side. She used sub-sonic hearing to tell Ryan of what she'd discovered.

"You smell that? It's Braxton. He's dead."

"You sure?"

"Positive. He's up ahead on our path. We have to throw a wrench in this or we're done."

"What are you thinking?" Elena then pretended to fall.

"You okay?" Ryan asked, running to her.

"Yeah, I slipped on a root. Pick a fight," she whispered.

"You'll have to get that on ice."

"Can you walk on it?" Braxton's friend asked.

"I should be able to make it home, yeah." She walked away.

"You know, all of this, because your friend wanted to blame us for what's gone down around here."

"My friend's missing, you son of a bitch!" He attempted to punch Ryan, but the vampire dodged it and tackled him. Using the distraction, Elena ran away at vampire speed. "Get the hell off me!"

"Break it up! Break it up!" The Commissioner yelled. "Enough! Are we done here? All right! Assistant Commissioner O'Neil, call in the feds. Everybody, back to your cars."

"Nice one, hero."

"Go on, Assistant Commissioner." Meanwhile, Elena found the body as the humans retreated. She transformed and dragged the body off the property. Back at the house, Emma approached the Commissioner.

"Commissioner, I'm sorry you had to cut that search short. I apologize for Ryan's behavior. He's not usually like that."

"I should've just called the higher-ups in the first place. I cut a corner, that's all. I won't be cutting corners anymore." Ryan then walked into the house.

"She's moving the body," he told Damon.

"Body?"

"Yeah, he's dead. But Elena's on it."

"I should be out there." Emma then saw Daniel Santos outside.

"Daniel Santos."

"Did I miss the party?" He proceeded to enter the house.

"It's been a while since a Santos set foot in this house."

"Yes. Does my brother's blood still stain the carpet?"

"That was a long time ago. I hope you're beyond that."

"He got what he deserved. You don't come at the Alpha without anticipating payback. Full house."

"Sean tells me that you're interested in realigning with the Pack."

"When the others cleaved from the Pack, I followed them, foolishly believing that Malcolm deserved the right to Alpha instead of you. I placed myself on the wrong side of history. I want to make things right."

"How so?"

"I'm here to talk about Karl Marsten. But I think everyone should be here for this as well. Don't you have a new female? I'd rather not start without everyone." Elena then entered the room. "Ah, the newest member. How lovely to meet you."

"Get to the point," Elena snapped, crossing her arms.

"I was promised a fair trade. Information for Pack status. I want your protection. It isn't safe out there for a lone fox anymore."

"You're willing to risk retaliation to align with us?" Emma asked.

"Marsten and Cain are building an army. They've turned two psychopathic serial killers to counter the one that you have." He pointed to Damon and Elena growled. "I was just being honest."

"It isn't your strong suit," Damon replied.

"Neither is bringing information, apparently," Ryan added.

"Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you: that everything they're doing is because of you, Damon."

"You've been in contact with Marsten?"

"Grapevine. And what I hear is that for the years that you policed the Mutts, Damon, you were brutal, vindictive even. An individual Mutt stands no chance against you. They had no choice but to band together. And they're creating a psycho army to help in the process."

"I didn't do anything to Marsten."

"If this is about Damon, why did they kill Liam?" Emma asked.

"To knock you off your game. To send Damon out in a blind rage. Look, the King moves one square at a time. Thoughtful, methodical." He looked at Emma and then turned to Elena. "And the Queen, well, she can do whatever she wants. But the rook?" He looked at Damon. "Stuck in a rut. Zigzag. Zigzag. We all know that you act irrationally. You're impulsive. You make mistakes."

"Enough," Emma ordered.

"Still a slimeball, Santos. Nothing's changed," Ryan replied.

"Please understand, what I've said comes from good intentions. Those being reinstatement to the Pack."

"Well, we'll give that due consideration. Ryan, let's show him out," said Emma.

"Don't forget, young one. The Queen can make any move she wants." Emma and Ryan practically threw Santos out of the house.

"Ryan told me what happened. I should've been out there with you," said Damon.

"I had to drag a dead body across the property today to protect you and the Pack. And if that wasn't enough, I couldn't grab him, because my prints would be all over him. So I had to Change. Damon, will it always be like this?"

"No." He stroked her cheek and pulled her into his embrace. "Not if I can help it."


	7. Room To Breathe

"Yes. Right, then. I'll see you when you get here," said Emma before hanging up from a phone call. "Dominic. I sent him to reach out to the other European families. And without revealing too much about our situation, he found out that we are the only ones targeted by the Mutts."

"We all live by the rules you set. No offense to the other families, but if someone is going to strike, they'd strike at the head," Damon replied.

"Still, it's good to know that we can count on some extra muscle if we need it. I sent Ryan down to Florence to have a conversation with Joey and Dennis Stillwell."

"You think for a second if the Stillwells find out we're under attack, they won't join the Mutts? They're traitors."

"The Stillwells are hardly traitors. When the Pack separated, they went their own way and they would prefer not to be involved in our business."

"Isn't defending you part of their business?"

"If I called, they would come. I've had no occasion to call. Ryan will make it clear to them that all of our allies need to stay in line."

"And if that doesn't work? You'll expect me to get them in line?"

"You going to tell me what's really bothering you, Damon?"

"Nothing." Emma had noticed ever since Elena had left for the city to do some shopping, he'd been in a foul mood. Emma had needed Damon here and Elena was in desperate need of some new clothing. The hazards of taking off across the country in the middle of the night. Damon turned his head toward the stairs.

"Someone's here," he said.

"I'll deal with it." Emma walked up the basement steps to the front door and answered it. A man dressed in a biker jacket and greasy shirt and jeans was standing at the opposite end of the doorway.

"Emma Sinagra in the flesh."

"Have we met?"

"Samuel Boggs." He offered her his hand, but she didn't take it. "Nice place."

"How can I help you, Mr. Boggs?"

"Well, I came to meet the infamous Alpha. I figured you'd have security in every corner. But here you are, opening your own front door."

"No need for security," said Damon, appearing behind Emma.

"Samuel Boggs. I know your sire. Henry."

"_Knew_ him. He was killed three months ago."

"That's no surprise. Guy was an idiot. It was just a matter of time," Damon replied.

"Well, that's true enough. No running. Running is the problem. I asked Henry once what's the point in being an Augustine vampire if you just get herded around like a little sheep? And he reminded me that, uh, only the Pack gets to set down roots."

"What do you want, Mr. Boggs?" Emma asked.

"What do I want? I want what you got. Only, I don't want to follow any of your rules. Word is Pack's weak. And there's only one way to become top dog, ain't I right?" Damon dragged the man into the house and flipped him on the floor.

"Damon," Emma scolded.

"He started it! You want to challenge for Alpha, and word is the Pack's weak? You haven't thought this through." Damon punched him. "I'll give you one chance to make the right decision." He punched him again and threw him out.

"My nose!" the man groaned.

"I see your face here again, I'll reunite you with your sire."

"I think he got the message," Emma warned before closing the door. Her phone then rang. "Yeah?"

"We've got a problem. Dennis Stillwell is dead," said Ryan on the other line. Emma placed him on speaker.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure. He's been dead two days by the smell of this place."

"What about Joey?"

"There's only one body. Looks like they tortured Dennis before they killed him. He didn't go quietly though. They took his eyes."

"You've got to clean up the place, Ryan. Sanitize it."

"Yeah, it'll take some time, but I'll wipe it down find a quiet place to bury Dennis. Nothing will point back to us."

"It's what they want. Keep us tied up cleaning up their mess. Any idea who did it?" Damon asked.

"Judging by the smell, I'm pretty sure it was Cain and that Mutt from the motel."

"What about Marsten?" Emma asked.

"No sign of him. Just the other two."

"Come back once you've cleaned up, Ryan."

Later that day, Dominic had returned to Blackbriar.

"The Mutts are trying to kill off our support network," he said once Emma had told him of what Ryan had discovered.

"Isolating us from the outside in," Emma agreed.

"This complicates things. It's just a matter of time before the other families find out about the Stillwells."

"Maybe it will rally them to our cause. Look, all the other families are of your blood. They're not going to turn their back on you. Still, what happened to Dennis and Joey might put the fear of God into them."

"Maybe we should negotiate a truce with the Mutts."

"A truce?" Damon scoffed.

"Perhaps an easing of the rules regarding territory ownership. A small concession on our part might back them off."

"Emma, they already think you're weak. How long before the next Mutt comes by thinking he can challenge for Alpha?"

"Who came by?" Dominic asked.

"Samuel Boggs," Emma rolled her eyes. "Henry's childe."

"The word's out. The longer we sit on our hands, the harder it will be. I say strike back, hard," said Damon. "Reinstate the Mutt Hunts. Kill the worst to teach the others that Emma can't be pushed around."

"Is that what you think, Damon? Do you think that I'm letting them push me around?" They then heard a motorcycle pull up.

"It's Boggs. He's back."

"Stay here," Emma ordered. She opened the door and there was Boggs.

"I have the right to challenge for Alpha. This time I want you, not your little lapdog."

"Come in, Mr. Boggs."

"Thank you." Emma removed her cardigan and jewelry as Samuel prepared himself. He came at her and she pushed him into a wall without even flinching. He ran at her again, but she punched him, pushing him into another wall. "They said you wouldn't fight."

"Who said that?" He went to attack again, but she banged his head against a wall and pushed him over toward a table. He drew a knife and came at her, but she dodged the stab, grabbed his hand, and twisted his shoulder out of his socket in one smooth motion. The vampire screamed in pain. "That's typical Mutt behavior. Weapons aren't allowed. You know that." She broke his hand and he dropped the knife.

"Okay, look, I quit. All right? Let me go. Please. Please! Let me go!" She flipped the knife from the floor up into her hand and stabbed him in the hand. "AH!"

"Take him downstairs. You find out who said the Pack was weak and who sent him." Damon grabbed him and pulled him down into the basement.

"I was just kidding! Come on. What the hell is this place?" Damon then pushed him toward the cage. "No, I'm not going in there. Ah, don't put me in there! Don't put me No! No, no! No!" He was then locked him in. "Come on, man. Let me out."

"Shut up." Damon zip tied his arms to the bars so he was facing the inside of the cell.

"Undo my arms, man. Come on, my shoulder's killing me." Damon then looked through the receipts in his jacket.

"Gas. Fast food. No motels."

"I slept off the road, by my bike."

"What was the rush?"

"It was a stupid idea, man." Damon entered the cell and inserted his hand in the man's chest.

"Who told you to come?"

"Nobody." Damon then cracked one of the man's ribs. "I heard a rumor. I swear to God!"

"I know somebody put you up to it. Somebody's paying you."

"Nah. No way."

"You do your taxes?"

"What?"

"Income taxes."

"I've never paid taxes in my life."

"Then why did you keep all your receipts?"

"I, uh, I didn't."

"You're just as stupid as Henry. I now have a grip on your heart. I highly suggest you don't lie to me. You thought you could charge expenses to whoever is paying you." Samuel nodded. "I thought so. You're going to tell me everything I want to know."

Meanwhile, Elena was in London, looking through some racks in a woman's department store when Daniel Santos approached her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked.

"We have some things to talk about."

"You have five seconds."

"It's not what you think. I'm here 'cause I'm worried about you."

"You're worried about me," Elena replied skeptically.

"You have no idea what's really happening back at Blackbriar."

"Okay, you know what, I've had enough of your lies about Damon for one lifetime. Thanks."

"They aren't lies. Emma and the others haven't been entirely honest with you."

"What, and you have?"

"I tried to warn you. Damon is out of control. The Mutts killed Liam to get back at him, and from what I hear, he just laid a beating on some guy named Samuel Boggs."

"No, you're lying."

"Call him. Ask him. He's dangerous. I just fear that soon, that danger is going to land on your doorstep."

Back at Blackbriar, Damon walked into the kitchen.

"Anything?" Emma asked.

"Marsten put him up to it. Filled his head with dreams of running the show. Mutt was stupid enough to think he had a chance."

"Marsten had to know that it wouldn't work. This is a distraction. They're playing games with us," said Dominic.

"I'll give him some blood and send him packing. I doubt he'll come within a hundred miles of this place again." Emma pulled open a drawer and picked up a pair of pliers.

"No more half measures," she said.

"You really think that's necessary?"

"I want to make an example of him. I want word to get out that if you come at me, there will be serious consequences."

Back in the city, Elena and Daniel were continuing their conversation.

"See, if it were up to Damon, he'd wipe out the Mutt population singlehandedly," said Daniel as he lit up a cigar. Elena grabbed the cigar and put it out. "You just ruined a $50 Casanegra."

"I hear that's Marsten's brand. Coincidence?"

"Karl and I met. We talked, we parted ways. I took a cigar for the road."

"What did you talk about?"

"The events of the past month. The violence, the deaths."

"Events that you had nothing to do with."

"I'm just making sure I don't get caught in the middle."

"Oh, the middle? Whatever happened to wanting to re-join the Pack?"

"Yeah, well that's never going to happen, is it?"

"Right, 'cause you never really wanted it in the first place."

"Elena, we don't have to take part in this war. Marsten and his crew consider you aligned with Emma and the Pack, makes you their enemy. I can protect you from what's to come."

"I doubt that."

"You're putting yourself at risk for what? Damon? Guy's a psychopath." Elena looked around the store and saw no one so she grabbed Daniel by the throat and pinned him to a wall. "Oh, kinky!"

"Bad mouth my boyfriend to my face again and I'll rip out your liver and feed it to you." She then released him.

"Align with me and the two of us can step outside of this mess together."

"I'd rather die."

"Too bad. Oh, give my regards to Emma when you see her." He then handed her a small oblong gift-wrapped box before leaving. Elena noticed the tag said _For Emma Sinagra._ Elena was about to leave the store when her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey," Damon replied gruffly.

"Damon, what's wrong?"

"I've done things, necessary things."

"Damon."

"They're coming at us hard. I…I feel like I'm barely holding my head above water."

"It won't end well if it keeps going like this, Damon."

"I know. I want to be a better man, Elena. I need you back here. Please come home." A few minutes later, Damon walked into the living room where Emma was partaking in a glass of wine. Emma noticed his hands were stained with blood when he placed a set of teeth in a bowl. Emma realized that some of the teeth were kitsune teeth. "He, uh, he changed halfway through. Had to give him morphine to force him back to human form."

"When he comes to, send him on his way. News will get back to Marsten."

Meanwhile, Dominic was sitting on the stairway steps when Ryan walked through the door.

"Still up?" Ryan asked.

"I was waiting. I should have been with you."

"We couldn't have known."

"Come." They hugged.

"I kept thinking of the time the four of us went hunting, long before the Stillwells left the Pack. You and Dennis taught Joey and me how to flush out a deer. I kept thinking about Joey losing his father. What if that was you, lying dead on the ground."

"That's not going to be me."

"You can't say that."

"No, you're right. You're right. But you're my son, and I want to protect you from the truth, 'cause the truth is that no one is safe. All we have is right now. And right now, what you did for Dennis today? The way you put his body to rest: I'm so very proud of you, Ryan. I'm so proud of you. All right. Let's go get the others. We got a lot of work to do." A family meeting was then held downstairs.

"I wasn't able to find Joey. But if he's alive and safe, he'll join us once he finds out they killed his father," said Ryan.

"Whose death we will avenge right now," Dominic growled.

"Marsten likes to play in the shadows. He has other people to do his dirty work for him. We have to find a way to draw him out," said Emma. Elena then walked into the room.

"Marsten's not the one you should be worried about. Daniel Santos found me in the city," she said.

"Santos did?"

"Yeah. He had a lot to say. And he left this for you." Emma grabbed the box, but Elena placed a hand over Emma's. "You're not going to like what's inside." Emma nodded and steeled herself for the worst. She opened the box and saw a pair of vibrant blue eyes. She threw the box across the table and roared in anger.


	8. End Of Me

"Are we positive these came from Dennis Stillwell?" Dominic asked.

"I saw his body. His eyes were gouged out. Those are his," Ryan replied.

"Were his," Damon amended.

"Santos is going to pay dearly for this," Emma hissed. Elena's phone then rang.

"Hello? Why don't you ask her yourself?" She placed her phone on speaker. "Go ahead."

"How did you like my gift?" Daniel asked over the phone.

"You sick bastard," Damon growled.

"Why did you kill Dennis Stillwell?" Emma asked.

"Technically it wasn't me. But you've got to admit, it's an attention grabber."

"You have my attention."

"Good. Because I want to be heard, and taken seriously."

"Well, it'll be hard for you to talk after I rip your throat out," said Damon.

"You see, now, that is what we need to be talking about. The violent ways with which you uphold the Pack laws. Now you know how it feels to be on the receiving end. All that my associates and I want is to get out from underneath the Pack's oppressive rule."

"The rules of our society have been established for decades. What makes you think we'd be interested in changing them now?" Dominic asked.

"Well, I'm sure you're not, Dominic, since you're the ones in power. But there are a number of us who think it's about time for a new world order. If you don't agree, that's fine. But you can count on having some more funerals."

"What have you done with Joey Stillwell?" Elena asked.

"He's safe for now. Still has all his body parts, which is more than I can say for Samuel Boggs."

"Boggs thought we were weak. He needed to be taught a lesson," Damon replied.

"Dennis Stillwell thought we were second class citizens. He was taught a lesson as well."

"What do you want?" Emma asked.

"A meeting. You and I get together, hash things out."

"Great. Come to Blackbriar, we'll talk."

"You still haven't gotten the blood stains out of your carpet from the last Santos that was killed there. I was thinking we could meet at the park, on the east side of London."

"That doesn't work for me."

"Then please, select a location other than your fortress. I'll come alone, and in good faith. I'll trust you to do the same."

"Fine. There's an abandoned campground just off county road 35. There's a pavilion on the west side. I'll meet you there."

"Sounds good to me. How about tomorrow, say noon?"

"I'll see you there."

"Good." The line went dead.

"You can't trust anything he says," said Ryan.

"No, I know that. We can't just sit here and let them pick us off one by one. We have to find a way to turn this meeting into our advantage, maybe get a lead on where that warehouse is. Damon and Elena, you head there now. Find stakeout positions." Emma then left with Dominic and Ryan.

"You all right?" Elena asked Damon.

"I'll be fine once Santos and the others are put down."

"I'm talking about your phone call, Damon. What was that all about?"

"I was just having a rough time with some Mutt discipline."

"Are you all right now?"

"I'm better now that you're here." He kissed her. "Come on." They left for the campground and both walked through the woods.

"I've got a vantage point on the south side," she said to Damon through her phone.

"I found a spot on the north end but it's too exposed. I'm going to keep scouting. I want to be ready for whatever Santos has in store." Both vampires then saw a truck pull up and drop off a package. "You seeing this?"

"Got it. Check out the box."

"It looks like the same wrapping as the other one from Santos." Elena then called Emma.

"Emma, we've got a situation. Some kid just dropped off a box wrapped in the same paper as Stillwell's eyes."

"Elena, don't touch it. Dominic and I are on our way."

"Could be Joey's body parts," said Ryan.

"Could be a booby trap," Dominic added.

"Exactly. Ryan, you stay and watch the property. We're going to head out there." Emma and Dominic drove toward the campground when they saw a car crash and a woman on the road. "Oh, no." She got out of the car.

"We really should keep going, Emma."

"She needs our help first." Meanwhile, Elena caught a scent and saw a kitsune.

"Cain," Elena growled, recognizing the scent. She dialed Damon. "Come on. Pick up." But Damon was on the phone with Dominic.

"Yeah?"

"We're on our way, but we came across an accident."

"An accident? Is everything okay?"

"I'll let you know."

"Ma'am, what happened? Are you okay? Can you hear me?" Emma asked the injured woman in the road.

"Car came out of nowhere took off."

"Yeah, looks like the girl's in really bad shape," said Dominic still on the phone with Damon. Suddenly, the girl cut Emma's leg and LeBlanc jumped out of the bushes and stabbed Emma. "It's an ambush!" Dominic threw LeBlanc off Emma. "How bad is it?" Santos then appeared and attacked Dominic, slashing him across the chest. "Ahh!"

"Nice to see you again, Dominic."

At the campground, Cain prepared to attack Damon, but Elena in kitsune form tackled him. Damon threw a trashcan at Cain, injuring his leg, before turning to Elena.

"Dominic and Emma are under attack! Go and find them." Elena ran away toward the road and Cain retreated back into the forest. Within minutes, Damon drove down the road and Elena jumped out of the forest, having changed back into her human form. Santos and LeBlanc ran away and their human co-conspirator had disappeared.

"Help Dominic. He's been hurt badly," said Emma.

"It's synthesized vervain," Dominic groaned. "I'm not healing."

"We have to get him back to Blackbriar."

When they sped back into Blackbriar, Ryan ran out the door.

"What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Your dad's in bad shape. We have to get him inside," Damon replied.

"Elena, help Damon get the medical supplies," Emma ordered. "We have to be fast. That blade had synthesized vervain on it. Makes vampire blood useless. We have to take care of his wounds the old fashioned way." They moved Dominic onto the dining room. "Damon, I need gauze, pads, and tape. Okay, give me some, quick. We need to keep pressure on this. Elena, I need rubbing alcohol. Thank you. It's going to sting." She poured the bottle over Dominic's wounds and he hissed. "Okay, cover it up. I need hemostatic powder. I need more gauze. More pressure."

"Hang in there, Dad."

"Ryan, listen to me," said Emma.

"Yes."

"We're going to roll him and we're going to wrap it back over, okay?" Emma replied, handing him a piece of a bandage. "Okay, got it? Take this way. I'm going to need some scissors, Damon."

"Hang in there, Dad. Better?"

"I'll be okay, Ryan."

"We're going to track down Santos, okay?" Emma told her old friend.

"I know you will. How am I doing, doc?"

"You're strong. You're going to be okay."

"You've never lied to me before, my friend. Don't start now."

"I'm going to do everything I can to get you through this."

"Okay. Emma."

"Shh. We can talk later, my friend."

"You have to stop them."

"We will. We will, you and I together. You and I together." Emma then began to grow dizzy and started to fall to the ground. Damon, Ryan, and Elena caught her.

"Tell me what to do," said Elena.

"I'm fine."

"Emma, you're not healing. Tell me what to do."

"Get some antiseptic and some gauze. We need to stop the bleeding."

"Okay, we've just got to clean this out," said Damon. When they patched Emma up, the Alpha of Blackbriar turned her attention back to Dominic. All her hard work was turning to naught as she saw his fingers begin to gray.

"Damnit. He's bleeding internally. He's lost too much blood."

"What can we do?" Ryan asked.

"There's nothing more that I can do for him. Synthesized vervain makes us as helpless as humans."

"Well then, let's get him to a hospital."

"Ryan! You know we can't do that."

"I'm not going to stand here and watch my father die!"

"Ryan, Ryan," Dominic called. "You can't fight this fight. Elena."

"I'm here."

"You're a part of this family. The boys need you."

"I know."

"Take care of them."

"Damon."

"Yeah."

"You find it in your heart to forgive."

"I will."

"My friend," Emma took his hand, "No more half-measures. Santos, all of them."

"My friend, it's time for you to rest now."

"Ryan."

"I'm right here, Dad."

"Come closer. Closer." He whispered something into his ear.

"Thank you." Dominic's whole body then turned gray and the vampires grieved for the friend they had lost.

That evening, Emma was looking into the fireplace of the living room, drinking a glass of bourbon.

"Sixty-five years of friendship. So many little things you take for granted, and then suddenly it's over," said Emma.

"These Mutts need to be put down for good," Damon replied.

"I agree. No middle ground, no mercy," Elena replied.

"I didn't think you were that bloodthirsty, Elena," Emma said.

"They killed Liam. They killed Dominic. What more is it going to take until we fight back?"

"This is more than just killing a few Mutts," said Ryan, entering the room.

"Ryan, we can talk about this later."

"No, I have the rest of my life to grieve. We all do. Right now we need to go on the offensive, find out who else is involved and just how far this reaches."

"We also need to find out who that woman was at the ambush," said Elena.

"The Mutts are getting desperate if they're bringing in humans to do their dirty work."

"So where do we start?" Damon asked.

"Cain," Emma replied. "That's the weakest link."

"Cain's hardly weak."

"Yes, he is, he's mentally weak. He's sloppy, he's careless. We need to find him and get him to talk."

"I'll go to the campground, see if I can pick up a scent," said Elena.

"Not alone," Damon argued.

"You're going to go with Damon," Emma agreed. "Ryan, you and I will stay to tend to Dominic's body."

"How's your wound?" Elena asked.

"It's fine. Don't worry about me. The vervain will be out of my system soon and it will heal."

Damon and Elena returned to the campground several minutes later.

"The box is gone," said Damon.

"We were only here a few hours ago. Everything's changed. I can't stop thinking about Dominic and Liam."

"I know, me neither. They were my brothers."

"We aren't going to lose any more people."

"The only blood spilled from this point on will be Mutt blood." Elena smelled the air.

"He went north."

Meanwhile at Blackbriar, Commissioner Morgan stopped by. Ryan answered the door.

"Commissioner."

"Good evening. Damon Salvatore here?"

"He had some business to attend to. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Is Emma Sinagra home?"

"It's, uh, it's not a good time."

"It's never a good time to talk to the police, but we have a situation on our hands. We found Michael Braxton's body."

"His body."

"That's right." Emma then walked into the foyer.

"Evening, Commissioner."

"Ms. Sinagra. I was just asking about you."

"Ryan, could we have a moment?" Ryan nodded and left the room. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thanks." Emma showed the woman into the living room. "Are these your paintings?" The commissioner pointed to a canvas featuring a medley of reds and oranges.

"Yes."

"They're beautiful."

"Thank you."

"They remind me of Turner."

"You know your art."

"Have great museums in London."

"Would you like to have a seat? You have some information about Mr. Braxton?"

"His body was found just inside town limits. His throat was cut, which now makes this a homicide investigation."

"First wolf attacks, and now a murder. You don't think they're related?"

"We'll see where the investigation takes us."

"What does this have to do with Damon?"

"You know Braxton was talking about coming up here to confront him."

"I understand he was very intoxicated when he made those statements."

"He had had a few drinks."

"From my limited experience, when a man's had a few too many drinks, he tends to be a bit boastful. And then when he sobers up, he gets a little more rational. Now, the last time any of us saw Mr. Braxton was the day that we found that poor dead child."

"All these artifacts. You must have a well-used passport."

"Actually, most of them were acquired by Damon. He has a doctorate in anthropology."

"Where does he work?"

"Cambridge. But he's on leave. He took some time to visit some family in the US."

"And how are you two related?"

"He's my adopted son," said Emma, remembering the cover story she had planted in London long ago.

"Interesting. You just don't look old enough to have a son that age."

"Ha. You're trying to flatter me."

"So he's a professor. You must be very proud."

"I'm very proud of all of my family."

At a gas station, Elena and Damon were observing Cain walk into a convenience store.

"Good call," said Damon.

"Tracks pointed the way."

"If we go in there we'll end up with a lot of collateral damage. We should wait for him to come out."

"No. I wait for him to come out." Elena took off her jacket and tied her hair up before leaving the car and heading toward Cain's truck. When Cain left the convenience store and turned the corner, he saw Elena. "Hello, Cain."

"You must be the new bitch." Elena elongated a nail and scrapped it along his truck. "You're going to pay for that." She winked and walked around the corner. Cain followed her. "You really think you can take me one-on-one?"

"Easy. You're dumb and you're slow." He attacked her, but she easily dodged. "See?"

"I'm done screwing around!" Suddenly, Damon grabbed him by the shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't be too far behind your bitch." Damon grabbed him in a headlock and injected him with vervain.

"Let's get him out of here," he said.

Back at Blackbriar, Emma was finishing up her conversation with the Commissioner, desperately trying to get him out of the house as her wound had reopened.

"Thanks for your time," he said.

"I'll have Damon call as soon as he returns."

"I don't mind driving back out here to talk to him. I'd like to see the rest of the house."

"Maybe some other time, when you're not in the middle of a murder investigation."

"Yes."

"Yeah."

"Thanks again." The Commissioner left.

"She's gone," Emma grimaced in pain. Ryan ran in.

"Stay here. I'll grab the med kit."

"Okay." She then called Sean.

"Hello?"

"Sean, things have escalated. Dominic is dead. Sean, are you there?"

"What happened?"

"The Mutts attacked us."

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I will be. I need you to come back."

"I'm so sorry, just…I'll come as soon as I can."

"Damon is bringing Cain in for questioning. The rest of the Mutts are still out there and they're on a murder spree. I want the family back here as a Pack."

"I have some things I need to take care of here first. Tell Ryan my thoughts are with him." Damon and Elena then walked in with Cain.

"Wow. Always wondered what this place looked like," said Cain, now conscious.

"Wait until you see the guest suite downstairs," Damon smirked. He walked the large man down to the basement and threw him into the cage.

"What now, tough guy?"

"Now you tell me the location of the warehouse."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"The place you and Marsten and your psycho buddy were talking about the other day at the motel."

"Oh, yeah. The motel. Marsten thought he smelled you and the bitch. You like the little gift we left behind for you?" Damon grabbed him through the bars by the neck.

"I guarantee you will tell me where to find them before I'm done with you."

Upstairs, Elena approached Emma.

"Elena. You were successful," said Emma.

"We got lucky."

"I think that we deserved a little bit of luck today, don't you?"

"You don't look good."

"I may have lost a little bit more blood than I thought. I will be good as new in the morning."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Go get some blood. I'm sure you're hungry." Elena left the room and then heard a noise. She walked back into the living room and saw Emma collapsed on the floor. "Emma? Emma! Ryan!" Ryan rushed in. "This can't be just blood loss."


	9. Bleeding Out

Morning rose and Elena and Damon were cleaning the kitchen table of Dominic's blood.

"I should get the pyre built," said Damon.

"I don't know if I can do any more funerals."

"Nothing is going to happen until Ryan gets back and Emma gets better."

"I feel like we failed Dominic."

"We did." When Damon left for the woods, Elena walked into Emma's bedroom.

"I thought I collapsed from blood loss," said Emma. "But a night's rest should've fixed that. There's something wrong, Elena. Very difficult to breathe."

"I don't understand. You're healing normally but you're burning up."

"There has to be some sort of poison in my bloodstream."

"But you're healing."

"Poisons are different. Augustine often experimented on us with them. The side effects weren't good. The knife must have been dipped in vervain and another toxin."

"What do I need to do to find an antidote?"

"We need to figure out what the toxin is first. The wrong course of treatment could be fatal." Elena walked back downstairs just as Damon re-entered the house.

"Emma's been poisoned. We have to find out what they used on the knife."

"How much time do we have?" he asked.

"I don't know. Doesn't look good. It could be hours."

"Give me a chance. Cain will know. I'll get it out of him."

"What if you can't?"

"We'll figure something out."

"Better go fast then."

"I'll make him talk." They walked into the basement and saw him in kitsune form.

"I don't think he wants to talk." Elena's sentiment was emphasized when Cain hissed. Elena walked back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to find the Mutts. And if you tell me that I can't go by myself, I'll break your arm."

"You can't go out there by yourself."

"We don't have time for this."

"Stay here. I'll work on Cain."

"You know what? Last time I checked, kitsunes don't talk and you can't communicate with him telepathically unless he opens up a link. I'm going to find out what they poisoned Emma with. Your vengeance can come later."

"What's your plan? You're going to drive around and hope they're out for a stroll?"

"There was a woman with them. I'm going to find her."

"Any sign of the Mutts, you're going to call me. I'll be there. We do this together."

"I'm not going to do anything without backup. Any sign of trouble, I'll call, all right?" She kissed him.

"Okay." Damon walked back down to the basement. "I have to give you a little respect. I'm starting to think you're not that stupid after all. You're thinking as long as you stay a kitsune, I won't be able to question you. Not a bad plan. You'd be right, except for one thing. I've done this before." Damon injected Cain with a sedative and a few minutes later, he woke up and found himself tied to the cage. Cain tried to rip through his restraints. "I wouldn't do that. That only gets tighter when you pull."

"What do you want?"

"Just to talk."

"I ain't got nothing to say."

"Well, that's up to you. But you see the way the rope's looped? A kitsune's shoulder can't rotate in that direction. So if you try to change, your arms will rip out of their sockets. That's also up to you. What was used to poison the blade?"

"What are you talking about? I don't know anything about any poison. Oh! LeBlanc poisoned his blade? Holy shit! Looks like Santos bit a winner after all."

"Just tell me where they are so I can find out what he used."

"Shove it up your ass, bro."

"Take a look around. Huh? This place wasn't built for quiet reflection. So why don't you start talking while I'm still feeling friendly."

"Oh. Okay, Mr. Friendly. You know that shitheel, Liam? I held him down. Sat on his chest. He was like a helpless, snot-nosed little kid in a schoolyard. Squealing and crying like a little girl. 'Oh, please don't hurt me. Please! Plea-ase! It hurts!' And I was staring right in his face when LeBlanc took that knife and cut out his heart. And this was the last thing he saw. I'm not afraid of you. So bring it. Come on, bring it, you son of a bitch!" Damon sped in front of his face. "That's it! Bring it! Come on, you know you want to finish it. So do it! Do it. Do it."

"You're not getting off that easy."

"Coward!" Damon's phone rang.

"What have you got?"

"Well, the mystery girl's with Cain. I just found their love nest, an RV off the 275."

"Any trouble?"

"No, all their stuff's still here. I think I'll just sit on it and hope that she comes back. Maybe she'll lead us to where the Mutts are hiding."

"Okay. You remember the deal?"

"I'll call. I'm not interested in taking them on by myself." Damon ended the call and smirked at Cain.

"Who's the girl?"

"I got an idea. How about you untie me and we finish this the old-fashioned way?"

"We found your RV. Won't be long before we find her. Who is she?"

"Some skank I picked up in Jonestown. I took her off a biker."

"She stabbed Emma."

"Good. I guess she'll do anything for a bag of coke and a couple rocks of crystal, huh? She don't know shit from shingles."

"Then where is she?"

"How do I know? I'm in here. She's probably tweaked out of her mind and blowing some trucker. What do I care?"

"You're lying. I can tell it in your heartbeat. Why don't you think about that for a minute?" Damon left the room and walked back up to Emma's bedroom. He looked over Emma's vitals. "Your blood pressure is dangerously low."

"Where is Elena?"

"Tracking the woman who stabbed you. This isn't your deathbed. Not yet."

"What about Cain?"

"Doesn't seem to know about the poison."

"Do what you have to do: hurt him."

"I don't think that'll work. He wants me to finish him off. The closer he gets, the longer he'll hold out."

"He was always a strong one."

"Yeah, he's loyal even for a Mutt. Would've made a good Pack member if he wasn't such an asshole."

Meanwhile, Elena had found the human at a restaurant and sat down at her booth.

"Must be tough to get your share when you live with someone like Cain," said Elena, noticing all the food she was practically inhaling. "Let's talk."

"Tell me Cain is still alive."

"He's alive. For now. My boyfriend has a nasty temper so I suggest you talk fast so I can stop him."

"Is he hurt?"

"I don't know. I've been busy looking for you."

"How did you find me?"

"You forgot about Cain's truck. I assume you know who I am."

"Elena, right? I'm Amber."

"You stabbed my friend, Amber."

"You mean your Alpha?"

"What did Cain tell you?"

"You mean about the whole vampire-kitsune thing?"

"Lower your voice."

"Maybe I'll shout it from the rooftops. Where is my man?"

"He's alive. And whether or not he stays that way depends on you. Cain signed your death warrant. It's a basic rule. You can't know about us."

"That's your rule, not Cain's."

"It's the only reason we've survived this long. The Pack can't let you live. You will be trapped and killed by the best hunters in the world."

"So why don't you kill me?"

"I'm not the only one you should be worried about."

"Cain told me the rule when I found out. He couldn't do it though. He'd rather risk punishment than kill me. I thought, 'A real live vampire. And he loves me.'"

"You asked him to bite you."

"He won't do it. He's afraid of losing me. Says it would break his heart."

"Trust me. You don't want this."

Back at Blackbriar, the doorbell rang and Damon answered the door to see the Commissioner outside.

"Mr. Salvatore! I'm so glad you're home."

"Emma isn't here."

"Oh, it's you I wanted to talk to. I came by the other day. You were supposed to call me?"

"What's it about?"

"Well, we're investigating the murder of Michael Braxton. It's a terrible thing. I was hoping to clear up a few things. Scratch you off my list."

"Wow, I'm on a list!"

"It's the way these things work. Everyone's on the list until we narrow it down. Just a couple questions. Shouldn't take too long. It's, um, not really something I can do standing on your stoop."

"Right. Well, um, I was just about to head into town, so I'll stop by the station."

"Great! Shouldn't take too much of your time."

"I'll grab my jacket," said Damon, realizing he wasn't leaving.

At the restaurant, Elena and Amber were continuing their conversation.

"I need to know about the poison," said Elena.

"Poison? What are you talking about?"

"You coated your knife with something. I need to know what it is."

"That must've been LeBlanc. I try to stay away from him. The guy skeeves me out."

"He should. He's a serial killer, Amber."

"Bring Cain back to me, and I'll tell you where to find LeBlanc."

"Let's go. You show me where they are, and I will do what I can to get Cain back to you, I promise."

"How do I know you're not going to kill him and me anyway?"

"All I can do is talk to Emma, but it is your only hope."

"They told me you would say something like that. They were right about a lot of things." Elena then smelled LeBlanc and Marsten.

"Here they are." The two walked into the restaurant.

"Oh, run along, dearie. We'll take it from here," said Marsten, sitting in front of Elena while LeBlanc sat beside Elena, pinning her inside the booth. "Hello, Elena. Lovely to finally meet you."

"Biting in psychos is one thing. Now you're defying the rules that protect us from The Originals. How could you let a human know about us? Are you out of your mind?"

"It wasn't my call. I'm merely a passenger on this ride."

"Looking out for yourself, I see. Wow. You're just like Katherine Pierce."

"I believe they call it 'looking out for number one,' and yes, indeed. I am quite like the infamous Katerina Petrova. Something you should be thinking about doing too."

"All I'm thinking about is snapping your neck."

"Hmm I like that. The ones that try to fight back are the most fun," LeBlanc giggled like a school girl.

"Hmm. Well, then you're going to have a blast with me," Elena replied.

"I believe Daniel Santos made you an offer?" Marsten said. "It still stands. You don't want to end up on your own out there. Believe me. It's no picnic."

"I don't get it, Karl. What did the Pack ever do against you?"

"Hasn't done much for me either. How many times must I ask for territory?"

"I could kill you right now," said LeBlanc.

"You could try," Elena snapped.

"These are rash, these ones. But Mr. LeBlanc knows better, don't you?" said Marsten. Elena then grabbed LeBlanc's arm and squeezed until the bones began to crack.

"What are you doing?" LeBlanc groaned.

"You make a public scene, and it won't take long until the cops grab you and bring you back to wherever it is that you came from."

"I'm an expert at keeping a low profile."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh." She grabbed his elbow and popped it out of the socket. He groaned.

"Remember low profile."

"You bitch!"

"Tell me about the poison."

"It won't do you any good. It's already too late." She took his finger and snapped it backwards.

"Ricin. Damn it! Ricin!"

"You're going to stand up. And you're going to let me out of this booth."

"Do as the lady says," Marsten nodded. LeBlanc stood up, holding his wounded arm, and Elena left the restaurant. She sped back to the house and Emma's bedroom.

"You've been poisoned with ricin," she said.

"With ricin?"

"Tell me what you need me to do."

"I need a blood transfusion. Vampire blood." Elena grabbed a needle and some tubing and stuck herself with it. She then began the transfusion.

That evening, Damon returned to Blackbriar and found Elena in the kitchen.

"How's Emma?"

"It was ricin. Gave her some of my blood, she should be okay. Where were you?"

"The Commissioner came by. He wanted to ask questions about Braxton. I had to get him out of here."

"They think you did it."

"They don't have anything. They're fishing. How did you know it was ricin?"

"I had a talk with LeBlanc at a restaurant." Damon growled and picked up a glass. "Before you say anything, he left with a broken wrist and I got the information." Damon threw a glass into the wall.

"Every time we get close, they slip away."

"Saving Emma was more important, don't you think?"

"Goddammit, you were supposed to call me!"

"What is it, Damon? Are you angry because I was right?"

"No, I'm pissed that you fight me on every simple thing I ask you to do."

"Oh, I'm sorry that I don't follow your orders."

"I'm trying to protect you."

"I talked to Cain's girlfriend, Amber. She knows about us. About the Augustines. That's who he's protecting, not the rest of the Mutts."

"You know what I have to do, don't you?"

"Yeah," Elena sighed, hating that her boyfriend had to go through all this. Damon walked downstairs and removed a seat from a chair.

"Oh, is that supposed to scare me?" Cain asked. Damon injected Cain with vervain. "You son of a bitch!" When Cain regained consciousness, he found himself tied to a chair.

"There's no point in pretending anymore. I know about Amber," said Damon.

"No. No, you got to listen to me."

"You told her about us. She knows."

"Yeah, but she won't say anything. You got to believe me."

"Tell me where they're hiding."

"I can't. You'll kill her."

"I have to kill her anyways. Maybe I'll let her have her wish. I'll find her in the night and I'll bite her, only I won't stop biting."

"No, it's Santos. He has a backup plan. I heard him on his phone."

"Tell me where they're hiding!"

"It's Jimmy Koenig! He's coming real soon, Damon. Please. Don't hurt her. Kill me, but don't hurt her. Don't hurt her. Look at me, Damon. Don't hurt her."

"Do you love her?"

"More than anything."

"Is that why you joined Santos? 'Cause you knew what we'd do if we found out about her?"

"I just want to protect her and keep her safe."

"Do you play out your life with her in your head? Picture the two of you growing old together?"

"All the time."

"You imagine what it'd be like to have kids? A family you never had?" A tear tracked down both their faces.

"Yeah. She's my soul mate."

"I'm sorry." He ripped Cain's heart out. Elena heard the conversation upstairs and tears ran down her face.

That night, Ryan had returned and Emma was feeling much better.

"You're looking better," said Ryan.

"Were you able to reach Sean?" Emma asked.

"I texted him a few times. I didn't hear back. But I can see he's picking them up."

"You need to find out what's going on with him." Ryan looked at Emma. "What? I want your opinion."

"I'm never going to fill my father's shoes. I wouldn't even try. Sean knows his place. We'll hear from him. Right now, we need to focus on finding Marsten, Santos, LeBlanc, and anyone else in league with them. I will kill them myself with pleasure." Damon and Elena then walked into the room. "Cain?"

"He's done," said Damon.

"I'll help you with the body."

"It's my responsibility. I'll deal with it. We have another problem. Santos hired Jimmy Koenig. He's coming for us."

"Koenig. I remember reading that name," said Elena.

"A long time ago, I left the Pack for some soul-searching," Emma explained. "My father, also an Augustine vampire, took my place until I returned. In my absence, Koenig was the Pack enforcer."

"You know all those files about dead Mutts down there?" Ryan added. "Koenig is responsible for most of them. My father used to call him 'the Killing Machine.'"

"Sleep. We'll start planning for Koenig in the morning," Emma replied.


	10. My Demons

A few days later, Emma was sparring with Ryan in the backyard.

"We were unprepared when Santos and LeBlanc attacked us on the road. They caught us off guard. Your father paid the price," she said.

"We won't be caught off guard this time."

"Ryan, you're letting your emotions control you. You're leaving your left flank exposed. That leaves you vulnerable." Emma palm-thrusted him in the side. "To a counter-attack." She then flipped him and he groaned. "Listen to me. Look at me. Self-control is everything."

"Did you pick the place or did Koenig?"

"It was mutually agreed upon."

"Did you ever fight him in the past?"

"No, I've never fought anyone from the Pack before. Except my father. Jimmy Koenig was an enforcer. He always did business for the Pack, never against us, until now."

"Well, you'll take him out. He won't know what hit him."

"Don't underestimate Jimmy Koenig or his brutality. Your father made that mistake once and he regretted it the rest of his life. He forced your father to kill a man, just for the sport of it. Koenig is a very strong fighter, but in the moment right before the kill, he blocks everything else out so that he can savor the second that he takes his victim's life. Don't lose your focus." Ryan left and joined Damon.

"Emma kick your ass again?" he asked.

"Yes, but at least I made her work for it."

"How is she?"

"Still recovering, but 80% Emma is better than 100% Mutt."

"Is she ready for someone like Koenig?"

"She thinks she is."

"Let's hope she's right."

"Yeah." They then joined Emma. "You're not ready for this."

"My injuries have healed. It's fine."

"One wrong move."

"You made your point, Ryan."

"Any word from Sean?" Damon asked.

"He said that he'd be here by nightfall. We're going to have to do this without him."

"What if this deserted factory is just a trap?" Elena asked, walking out the back door.

"Koenig prefers to work alone. To be a part of an ambush would be beneath him. He's only coming because Santos failed to kill me. There's been a lot of changes over the last few weeks. Very emotional. It's been very hard. On all of us. And we have lost Dominic and Liam. But this is a family. And I need you to know that I draw my strength from you. We will end this. Today."

A few hours later, Emma was waiting for Koenig at the entrance to a factory. The older man then arrived.

"No fanfare? No welcome home sign? Not even a bouquet?" he asked.

"We'll save that for the funeral."

"Sure. It'll be yours. It's been a long time."

"Not long enough. I thought you retired."

"Sunsets in Sedona aren't for me."

"One more job. You could have said no."

"I suppose, but, you know, every once in a while I like to get out there and shake off the rust. You never know when someone or something, is going to jump out of the shadows. And, uh it pays to be ready."

"I couldn't agree more." He sniffed the air.

"You brought help."

"I ordered them not to get involved." The door then opened and Ryan, Elena, and Damon emerged.

"Only three? I heard membership in the Pack was dwindling, but this is a disappointing reception."

"This is just between you and me."

"For now. But when I'm through with you, I'll kill them too. It's a shame, really. I'll barely work up a sweat." Emma palm thrusted Koenig in the face and kicked him in the stomach. "I see Malcolm's daughter still has some fight in her." He punched her in the side and she groaned. "I heard you were stabbed. Must be tender, huh?"

"Aren't you going to…" Elena asked Damon.

"It's Emma's fight."

"But you have to…"

"We wait." When Emma was down, Ryan attacked, but Koenig pushed him into the others. He then jumped up to the staircase and ran.

"Split up and find him!" Emma yelled.

A few minutes later, Damon kicked open a door and heard the hiss of steam and a metallic clank. Elena and Ryan walked into another area of the factory and saw one of Koenig's cigarettes. Ryan went right while Elena moved left. Emma went to an open door and heard a clank. Elena walked cautiously outside when LeBlanc grabbed her from behind.

"I've been looking forward to this," he said.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with. The Pack's inside."

"You have no idea what you're dealing with. Or the things that I can do to you. I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed." She elbowed him and kicked him before running. He grabbed a gun and went to pursue her. A woman wearing similar clothes and an identical hairstyle to Elena heard gunshots.

"Get down!" Elena yelled, dragging her behind a car.

"Who are you?"

"Go to the other side of the building. You'll be safe there, okay? Go! Run!" The woman escaped and as Elena prepared to move LeBlanc shot her in the shoulder. Ryan and Damon heard the gunshots.

"Nowhere to run, Elena." Elena moved behind a row of palates and LeBlanc started shooting. Emma heard the shots and ran toward the sound, but Koenig got the jump on her. Emma flipped up and threw him across the floor. Koenig punched her and threw her across the room.

"I'm coming for you, bitch," said LeBlanc as Elena slid herself underneath a car. Damon removed a plate from a window to see and saw the girl resembling Elena get shot.

"No! Elena!"

"Well, well, well. It's payback time. I am going to savor this." He turned the girl over and realized it wasn't Elena. "Damn." He shot the human in the head.

Meanwhile, Emma was growing weaker as she fought Koenig. The professional killer grabbed her by the neck.

"We both knew it would end this way," he said. Ryan then jumped down from the balcony and extracted Koenig's heart.

"Where are you?" LeBlanc asked outside. "What piece of you should I put in my scrapbook? A lock of your hair? Or your heart?" He was about to discover her when Damon ran outside. He dodged LeBlanc's bullets and Elena used the distraction to escape from the car. Damon ran as well and snuck up behind Elena who was by the jeep. She prepared to attack.

"Easy! Easy! Easy! Shush, hey. Hey, hey, it's me. Baby, it's me. Come here." They hugged. The Blackbriar pack then left the factory with Koenig dead and Emma tended to Elena's wound, removing the bullet.

"Between the trauma to your body, and the anxiety, you must be exhausted," said Emma.

"I'm fine."

"Fortunately, LeBlanc's bullet didn't cause too much damage. I still feel responsible. You shouldn't have been separated from us. What exactly happened out there?"

"I was hiding under a car. Trapped. I'm fine, okay? I'm just tired." Elena left and Emma went downstairs to the basement to see Ryan drinking from a bottle of scotch.

"How is it?" Emma asked, joining her.

"It's good. It's smooth."

"Mind if I join you for a drink?"

"Yeah, of course. I don't have an extra glass."

"Brought my own. Hope you don't mind my being presumptuous. You did well today, Ryan. Your father would have been very proud."

"You were right about Koenig. Caught up in the moment of trying to kill you, he let his guard down."

"Correct."

"Makes me wonder if you had it in you to fight him off or if you put your own life on the line so that I could take him out."

"Maybe you just have very good timing."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Regardless to a job well done."

"You know, with everything that's happened, we haven't had a chance to spread my father's ashes."

"In the cherry orchard at your family's estate?"

"Mmm."

"We could go right now. Be back before morning."

"Let's go."

Upstairs, Elena was sitting in front of the fire when she felt Damon's presence.

"I thought maybe you'd be with the others spreading Dominic's ashes," she said.

"You don't have to pretend with me."

"You never know. What if he'd been a better shot or…" Damon sat down next to her.

"Hey. Don't think like that. I thought I lost you today, but you're safe. Here with me." Elena kissed him and he held her in his arms as they looked into the amber depths of the fire, taking comfort in each other.


	11. Changes

When Emma and Ryan returned to Blackbriar, they found a note taped to the fridge that Damon and Elena had gone to the city to a bed and breakfast to relax for a few days.

"You know they're going to have sex all weekend, right?" Ryan asked Emma.

"Let them be alone. They need the time to unwind. This has been a hard week for all of us." Ryan's phone then rang.

"Hello?"

"It's Joey."

"Thank God. I thought you were dead."

"The Mutts, they had me. Cain, Santos, Marsten. I escaped, I need you to help me, please. Ryan, they killed my dad."

"I know, Joey, I'm sorry. Tell me where you are."

"Some factory, Highway 46. Mile marker 7."

"Okay, okay. Stay put. I'm coming to get you, buddy."

Several minutes later, Joey was brought back to Blackbriar. The man was covered in mud and Emma provided him with a wet towel so he could clean off his face.

"There were voices, there were a few voices, one was mocking me about my dad. They never took the bag off me, Ryan, they never took the bag off of me."

"Ryan, his pulse is all over the place. He must be starving. Get him some blood," Emma ordered.

"They crashed into our house and they ripped his eyes out right in front of me, man!" Ryan handed his friend a blood bag.

"Drink up, buddy. Joe, I'm the one that found him. Okay? I'm the one that found him, your dad, and I'm the one who buried him. I did it the way that you would've wanted if you were there."

"I'm glad it was you, man."

"They got my dad too, Joey. They got him too."

"No."

"Yeah."

"You gotta get these guys. Ryan, you gotta get these guys."

"I will, Joey, okay? Don't you worry. We're going to get them."

"Let's just focus on getting you better first," said Emma. "Joey, help me understand why the Mutts killed your father but spared you."

"They had this newly-turned Mutt that they were training. Lucky me, I got to be his practice victim. I was supposed to be his first kill as a kitsune."

"What happened?" Ryan asked.

"Well, when they released me for the hunt, they gave me a head start. And, uh, I ran as fast as I could, and then I hid and I covered my scent." Emma smirked.

"Cover your body in mud, hide your scent," she said. "Very smart."

"Yeah, from head to toe. Anyway, I, um, I hid and I stayed there through the night. And the next morning, when I was sure everyone was gone, I ran until I found a payphone and I called you guys."

"Can you take us to that place?"

"They drove me a few miles out for the hunt and they had me pretty drugged up, to keep me from Changing."

"Anything else you can remember about the place they kept you?"

"I was blindfolded. I didn't see much of anything. But from the way sound travelled, their place was big and open like a warehouse. And the other thing I remember is that it smelled like vanilla. There was one phone call I overheard, though. It was Santos. He was talking to somebody. And it wasn't Marsten, 'cause Marsten had just left. And he was talking about Damon. Talking about turning him against the Pack. At least that's what it sounded like, to me." Emma and Ryan then showed Joey to a room so he could get himself cleaned up and recuperate. Afterwards, they walked down to the basement and looked at a map.

"This is the factory where we found Joey. And assuming that they dropped him off for the hunt no more than 10 miles from where they were keeping him and estimating the distance he could've travelled on foot, this is our search radius," said Ryan.

"Assuming, yes."

"Now, the thing is, it's mostly suburbs or farmland around here. There's no abandoned food factories or bakeries or anything that would explain the vanilla smell."

"Well, perhaps there's a reason for that."

"What do you mean?"

"The information Joey fed us was decidedly vague. And the circumstances surrounding his escape are suspicious at best."

"What are you saying? That Joey's working for the Mutts?"

"Fear can be a very powerful motivator. He says the Mutts made him watch while they cut out his father's eyes. Now, he asked me point blank what our next move is. Why didn't the Mutts kill him? Maybe Joey traded his life for the one thing he knew was our weakness: our trust in him."

"So you're saying that all of that was an act? This guy was my cellmate. I know him."

"How much time did you spend with him over the last ten years?" Silence. "We do not have the luxury of trust. When he wakes up, we need to press him hard."

"Emma, look…"

"I hope that I'm wrong, Ryan. I really hope I'm wrong. For our sake. And for his."

That evening, Emma spoke with Joey again.

"Your father had the best tracking ability in the Pack. He could literally walk out the front door, and right away tell us exactly how many deer were in the forest," Emma chuckled.

"We never wanted to leave the Pack. When you and Malcolm battled it out for Alpha, my father was terrified. He said that if he sided with you, Malcolm would spend the rest of his life making us pay."

"Malcolm's been dead for months."

"I know. It's unbelievable. I mean we never thought anybody would take Malcolm Sinagra out."

"Yeah, you know I don't begrudge your father for being afraid of Malcolm. He was a brutal, vindictive man. When I was little and he was angry, he would backhand me with his left hand. And sometimes when he was feeling mean, he'd use his right. He wore a ring on that hand. That was my father. Your father could smell a deer from over two miles away. So how is it, Joey, that the Mutts got close enough to kill him and capture you, without him smelling a thing? Why did the Mutts go to your house, Joey?"

"Santos told us he was going after the Pack. He wanted to know who we were going to side with."

"What'd your father say?"

"My father said we weren't on anybody's side. But he was just trying to save his own life. He's always been with the Pack, you know that, just like me."

"I don't know that."

"You've got to believe me, Emma."

"I want to believe you, Joey. I want to believe you, but the fact is, the Mutts spared you. How do I know you didn't make a deal? How do I know you're not working with them?" She grabbed him by the neck.

"I would never work with those bastards. They killed my father. This isn't some move, Emma. All right? I swear to God!" Suddenly, Ryan ran in.

"He's telling the truth about the Mutts' hideout. You said it smelled like vanilla, right?" Ryan showed Emma a bottle. "It's a bottle of whisky my dad brought back from Aberdeen. I remember him telling me that as whisky ages, part of it evaporates. And over the years, that vapor would seep into the wood and would give these factories a very sweet, vanilla-like smell."

"During Prohibition, there were a number of illegal distilleries in this area," Emma realized. "If we can find the right one, then we will find the Mutts."

That night, Emma, Ryan, Sean, and Joey burst into a factory.

"Smells like they've been gone for at least a day," said Emma.

"Doesn't look like they deserted the place though," Ryan added.

"This is where they kept me. That's where they had me tied up. That's where that Mutt beat me," Joey said. Emma placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's search this place. Look for anything that can be useful. We need to figure out their next move." Emma then found a box with a watch inside.

"This was my father's," said Joey.

"Liam's lighter," Emma added, going through the box until she discovered a ring. She grew very alarmed.

"Santos is a trophy collector," said Sean.

"I found something over here," Ryan called.

"I found something too," Emma replied.

"What is it?"

"It was my father's ring. He used to wear it all the time."

"How'd they get Malcolm's ring?" Sean asked. "Someone would have to pry that out of his cold, dead finger."

"Yeah, I think that's exactly what happened," Emma replied.

"'Kay, you need to see this," said Ryan. He showed her a file folder of pictures. "They've been watching us. It's not just you the Mutts are after. It's Elena."


End file.
